Dark Release season 4 rewrite
by frosty600
Summary: This is the second part in my Buffy series rewrites. It focuses on the fourth season of Buffy. Buffy has graduated High School & is beginning College. Whilst Angelus begins his campaign to make Buffy his mate. B/Aus.
1. Chapter 1 the freshman

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of the characters mentioned in the cannon.

**A/N:** A huge thank you goes out to everyone who reviewed the last chapter of my season 3 rewrite, you guys rock honestly. My musie would be shrivelled useless thing without you guys :D

I know that I was supposed to be taking a bit of a break, and I did… I took one day and during that whole day musie did nothing, but pester me to get this started so here it is. :D

Hmm… I don't know how much I'll get done over this weekend, because my nieces are coming down later today, and are spending the weekend, and tomorrow I'll probably be taking them to our local show that is running. It'll be fun watching them run around and beg to go on all the rides… of course there so small still that they can't go on most of the ones that they want to go on. Ie: the roller coasters lol.

Anyway I'll let you get on with reading, and I'll try to get at least something done. :D

**CHAPTER 1**

**The Freshman**

Angelus stood in his kitchen with the light on. His arms crossed over his chest as he surveyed the work that was finally finished. The kitchen that had once been filled with old kitchen appliances was now filled with sparkly new appliances, each one handpicked by the tall dark demon himself. He smiled to himself as he began slowly prowling the newly done up kitchen. He ran a finger down the island feeling the smooth surface of the marble he'd had put on in exchange for the old cracked one. Angelus turned his gaze back to the appliances and he walked towards the fridge. Opening the door, the inside light came on revealing the so far empty fridge, and a cool gust of air blew past him.

Shutting the door Angelus reached down and turned off the switch that allowed the appliance to run. Going around he turned off all the switches in the large kitchen except for the light as he grabbed a large white blanket that was on top of a small pile of them, as he began throwing them over them to protect them from dust. His home was ready for his at the moment human future-mate, but he knew that it would probably be a while before she lived here with him. There was a lot that needed to be fixed between the two of them, a lot that he had been the direct cause of. But his home was ready for her when the time finally did come that Buffy came to live with him, and whilst she was human doing so, this kitchen would be hers.

Angelus smirked to himself as he made his way over to the light switch. It seemed that he could be at the very least grateful to his pansy ass soul for one thing. He'd know how to cook for his mate, if the desire to do so ever arouse in him. Angelus turned off the light and walked out of the blanketed kitchen and back through the mansion heading towards the closest exit.

* * *

Buffy paced back and forth in a cemetery in front of a large tombstone that Willow was sitting cross-legged in front of on a large picnic blanket a couple of books scattered around her a pen in her hand and a leaflet in her other hand which she was reading with a small frown looking down at the courses trying to find something that Buffy might like. Buffy paused in her passing. "Anything?" She asked with a sigh, facing the red head, before beginning to pace again.

"Ah!" Willow exclaimed, causing Buffy to once again pause her pacing to look at the red head. "Introduction to the modern novel. A survey study of twentieth century novelists." Willow read. "Open to freshman." Willow looked up hopefully. "You might like that."

Buffy looked at the red head with slight concern, as she gently nibbled her bottom lip. "Introduction to the modern novel? I'm guessing I'd probably have to read the modern novel."

Willow nodded. "Maybe more than one." She informed the petite blond.

"I like books." Buffy conceded, a small frown still marring her brow as she thought about it, an image of a large pile of books she had to in her minds eye. "I just don't want to take on to much." Buffy turned to the side, before turning back to face Willow. "Do they have an introduction to the modern blurb?" She asked slightly hopeful, that there was such a course even though it really didn't seem likely.

Willow looked back down at the leaflet scanning the page. "Oh!" She exclaimed. "Short story."

"Well, that's good." Buffy said relieved. Short stories sounded so much easier to read.

"Oh no." Willow muttered still looking at the page. "It conflicts with Psych."

Buffy shifted her feet. "Maybe I shouldn't take Psych." Buffy muttered dubiously, worried about taking a class that sounded so brain-y.

Willow jerked her head up to look at Buffy, her expression pleading. "You gotta. I-it's fun, a-and you can use it as your science requirement. Anyway, Professor Walsh is supposed to be great. She's like world-renowned." Willow explained.

Buffy sighed conceding. She really did need a science requirement. "How do you even get to renowned? I mean, like, don't you have to be nowned first?" Buffy asked.

Willow looked back down at the leaflet. "Yes, first there's the painful nowning process." Willow looked down the page and her eyes lighted excitedly. "Wait!" She cried glancing up at Buffy to make sure she had the blonds attention. "Images of pop culture." She read. "This is good." She told Buffy looking up at her again. "T-they watch movies, T-TV shows, even commercials."

Buffy looked at Willow surprised. "For credit?" She questioned.

Willow smiled. "Heh, isn't college cool?"

"How'd I miss that one?" Buffy wondered as she walked over and sat beside Willow on the picnic blanket.

Willow looked over at Buffy with a slightly reproving look. "Well, you did sort of wait till the last minute with your course selection."

Buffy settled herself down more comfortably on the blanket. "Sorry, Miss I-Chose-My-Major-In-Playgroup." Buffy quipped gently, looking over at the leaflet to read over the course with her own eyes, still disbelieving that she had over looked such a fun easy sounding course. Behind the two girls, the dirt on a fresh grave shifted and a hand shot out of the dirt and into the fresh night air.

"That's an exaggeration." Willow replied fighting down a small blush that wanted creep up over her cheeks. "I just you know, think it's good to be prepared. Don't want to be caught unawares."

"Well, I've been busy." Buffy muttered defending herself. "It's been a very slay-heavy summer." Buffy explained to her friend, a small worried frown creasing her brow. It wasn't the mass amounts of vampires and demons she had faced after the aftermath of The Mayors defeat that had her worried. That she considered normal all the night life coming back and out of hiding naturally gave her a lot more slayage hours. It was the absence of Angelus over the Summer break that had her worried. She hoped it meant that he had left town, gone back to Europe maybe. But it just seemed so easy, to easy even. And Angelus wasn't one to just give up on something. He wanted her miserable for eternity, not something he could manage across an ocean. "I just haven't had a whole lot of time to think about UC Sunnydale."

Willow looked away slightly uncomfortable, realizing that she hadn't known that. She was supposed to know that! Instead she had been more busy concentrating on her life as a freshman at UC Sunnydale. The vampire that was struggling to get out of his grave worked his head and shoulders out of the loose dirt shaking his head slightly as he looked around getting his bearings. Willow mentally shook herself and smiled over at Buffy. It wasn't really her fault she deserved to get excited over school academia, and she was sure that if it had been anything more than what Buffy could have handled she would have been told about it. "It's exciting though isn't it?"

"Yeah!" Buffy exclaimed. "It's gonna be an adjustment." She added a little worriedly.

"Yeah, it's like, five miles away. It's uncharted territory." Willow quipped not realizing that her friends worry about life at college was genuine. Behind them the vampire placed his hands firmly on the sides of his grave and began struggling to pull himself out of the dirt completely.

"Giles said I have to be secret-identity gal again." Buffy sighed, it had been a nice change having everyone know her secret… at least at the high school anyway, but now it was back to being the weird girl that most people wanted to avoid.

Willow nodded sympathetically. "That makes sense." Willow agreed as the vampire behind them managed to crawl out of his grave. He clambered to his feet, turning towards them his throat burning with the hunger, the sound of their voices attracting his attention.

"It's gonna be tough, though… with a roommate." Buffy muttered dubiously, as she pictured herself trying to sneak out of the room in time for patrol with a roommate hanging around.

"Yeah." Willow agreed. As the vampire behind them stalked towards them a smile that revealed his fangs on his lips as he approached his unwitting prey. Never for a moment wondering why two girls would be out at night in a cemetery, talking about college.

"I'm psyched about college." Buffy told Willow with a small nod. "Definitely." Behind them the fledge stopped short as his eye fell on the weapons that were stacked beside the gravestone they were sitting against. "I just need to figure out how it's going to work with my extra-curricular activities." The fledge looked from the weapons to the petite blond that was talking and back again, the gist of the conversation registering in his hunger filled mind. "I just can't let it take the edge off my slaying." The vampires eyes widened and he shook his head, and backed away quietly, before turning and running off into the night, deciding that it would be wiser to find a safer more defenceless victim for his first meal.

"I gotta stay sharp." Buffy concluded, before turning so that she could look back at the grave, hoping to see that the fledge she was waiting on would be waking up. "Is this guy ever gonna wake up!" Buffy grumbled turning back around with a sigh. It was getting late and she really wanted to get home… tonight was the last night she'd spend in her own bed after all, before she headed off to live on campus. Willow yawned hugely and Buffy smiled at her. "It's ok Will's you can go. You've fulfilled your best friend requirements."

Willow looked over at Buffy and shook her head. "No it's ok. Really…" Willow yawned again."

Buffy shook her head slightly. "Not that I don't want your company Will, but I couldn't bear to be responsible for you not being fully awake for our first day on the campus tomorrow."

Willow smiled and nodded. "Alright. Thanks Buff. I'll see you on the campus tomorrow." Willow said excitedly as she gathered the books she had brought out with her. Leaving the leaflet for Buffy to peruse through if she wanted to look for anything else that could catch her interest.

"Yeah. See ya tomorrow Wills." Buffy called as Willow made her way out of the cemetery, a cross and holy water tucked away on her person.

Buffy looked after Willow for a moment wishing that she too was able to go home. Buffy glared over her shoulder at the still unmoving grave. She was sure that this guy had been mauled by a vampire. She had even sensed that newly turned vampire vibe coming from the grave when she had checked it over to make sure. Buffy looked over at the leaflet that was lying on the picnic blanket beside her and picked it up with a sigh. She looked over the courses that Willow had circled for her with her black pen. Her eyes fell on psychology 105 and she nibbled her lower lip thoughtfully tapping the circled course with her finger. She wished she could be as sure as Willow about what courses she wanted to take, but a future job wasn't really on her radar, and so she was left with all the courses and no real direction she wanted to go, and yet she had to choose what she wanted to study.

Buffy sighed again and let the leaflet drop back onto the blanket climbing to her feet Buffy picked up her crossbow from the side of the tombstone and walked over to the grave to check it out. She froze as she saw that the ground had been disturbed where it hadn't been when she had first set up camp in front of the grave. Buffy whirled around searching for the missing fledge, slowly scanning the cemetery she sighed and lowered her weapon when she saw no sign of the fledge. "So much for not letting college interfere with my slaying. And it hasn't even started yet." Buffy muttered as she turned back to walk over to her blanket.

Buffy frowned as she drew closer, her senses tingling and the familiar warmth rose through her body spreading from the base of her spine. Raising her crossbow again Buffy came around the corner of the large tombstone, her crossbow pointed at the dark leather wearing figure sitting on her previously unoccupied picnic blanket, casually looking at the courses circled on her courses leaflet. "I thought you'd left town." Buffy said accusingly to the Master vampire she hadn't seen all summer.

"What, and leave my town after just having rescued it from mass populous reduction." Angelus quipped not looking up from the leaflet he was looking over. His eyes jumping from one circled course to another.

Buffy scowled at him. "It's not your town it's mine." Buffy corrected crossly, beginning to feel slightly silly holding the loaded crossbow at him when he obviously wasn't worried about it.

Angelus looked up at her. "Our town then." He adjusted with a wide charming smile curving his lips, one that had Buffy's twitching to return it.

"Sorry. I don't share town bragging rights with evil murderous vampires." Buffy grumbled lowering her crossbow, but remained standing, ready to raise it again at a moment's notice.

"Not even with evil murderous vampires whose un-life you saved?" Angelus asked.

Buffy narrowed her eyes, suddenly feeling the pulse in her neck beating under the scar that had formed after Angelus has bit her. "Not even." She said firmly.

"Pity." Angelus murmured, jumping to his feet and dropping her course leaflet as he stepped towards her, Buffy's crossbow already re-aimed at him. "I wouldn't mind sharing a town with you." Buffy scowled at him in confusion her heart picking up a slightly faster rhythm. Angelus stepped towards her and Buffy shifted her crossbow threateningly, her finger moving over the trigger warningly.

Angelus paused in his stride respecting Buffy's wariness even though he seriously doubted that she would fire the weapon at him. Not after she had gone to the trouble of saving his life. "You know you don't need that Buff." Buffy looked at him warily, watching as he slowly raised an arm and reached it out to her, his fingers straight to reveal that his hand was empty. Angelus bit back a sigh of contentment as his fingers brushed along the soft skin of her cheek until his entire palm covered the soft skin of her cheek completely the tips of his fingers sliding into her hair. He caressed her skin with his thumb gently his eyes on hers as she watched him for any sign of hostile movement. It irked him that she didn't trust him, but he couldn't blame her. All the blame for the mistrust she felt was at his feet. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Buffy stepped back from him and his caressing hand, her skin already missing the feel of his hand, as she made a disbelieving noise. An emotion that was echoed in her hazel eyes. "Come into my web said the spider to the fly." Buffy quoted sarcastically. "I'm not as stupid as the fly… not anymore." Buffy muttered seriously.

Angelus inclined his head. "You're more stubborn though." Buffy eyed him for a long moment, more as he stood facing her before he turned and walked away quickly disappearing into the night. Buffy remained alert for a few long moments more. Watching for any signs that he was still out there, but her senses told her that she was once again alone in the dark cemetery. Slowly lowering her weapon Buffy turned and began packing up her things, more than ready to call this night a bust.

Buffy sighed as she folded up her picnic blanket, Angelus' words running through her head, as they were so often did. 'I'm not going to hurt you.' He'd said, Buffy shook her head at herself as she found that she wanted to believe him. But it was stupid to do so. He was the deadly spider and she would be the helpless fly that got eaten if she wasn't careful. Angelus was no longer an ally. He was no longer bound by any conditions to not hurt her friends or family. He no longer had any reason to play nice with her. He was the enemy! Buffy told herself firmly… that was final!... right?

Buffy shook her head again to dispel the questioning thought. Checking to make sure she had everything Buffy turned and headed towards Revello Drive and her bed.

* * *

Buffy looked around as she stood uncertainly in amongst a crowd of bustling students that all seemed to know what they were doing. She clutched her folders to her chest as she looked around. Everything was all so different to the High School… it was so much bigger. "FRESHMEN!" She heard a female student volunteer yell, and she turned towards the voice hoping for some clue as to what she was supposed to do. "WE'RE DOING THIS BY FOLDER COLOR! IF YOU'RE NOT HOLDING ON TO A YELLOW FOLDER, YOU'RE IN THE WRONG GROUP. YOU BELNG UP BY WIESMAN HALL." Buffy looked in the direction the female student pointed, before looking down at her small pile of folders. Not seeing a yellow one, Buffy started moving in the direction she had been told.

For a small moment a protest rally caught her attention, an angry student stood on a raised platform in front of a banner that read 'THIS MUST STOP.' Buffy looked at it surprised before turning away. Before she could move a step she was accosted by an unknown student handing her a flier. "Rally tomorrow night. We have to let the administration know how we feel." He told her.

"Yeah, right." Buffy said uncertainly, as the student moved on to the next person he saw. Buffy placed the page on top of her folders and began walking only for a girl to come up to her.

"Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal saviour?" The girl asked handing her a flier from the pile she was holding.

"Uh," Buffy said self-consciously, taking the flier that had been shoved at her. "You know I mean to and then I just got really busy."

Buffy hurried along as the girl moved on, only to stop in her tracks as another flier was shoved under her nose, and she looked up to see a guy smiling at her. "Party, Thursday at Alpha Delta, you gotta be there. Free Jello shots for freshmen women."

Buffy took the flier. "Hey, you guys know where Wiesman hall is?" She asked looking up only to see that the guy that handed her the flier was already talking to another freshman girl behind her. Buffy sighed and continued walking up the stairs she had mounted, pausing at the top looking around, hoping to see a large sign that said 'Wiesman hall.'

Willow came up to her a strong bounce in her step. "Hey Buffy." She greeted giddily making the blond turn around in relief.

"Oh boy, am I glad to see you." Buffy sighed, as she fell into step with Willow as they continued up the path.

"Isn't this cool? There's so much going on." Willow exclaimed as she looked around avidly.

"Yeah." Buffy nodded. "Almost, one might say, too much." She muttered, feeling overwhelmed by the whole experience so far.

"I got all my courses… except for Modern Poetry, I had to switch to Ethno-musicology." Willow said excitedly, turned slightly so that she could look at Buffy. "But that's cool, West-African drumming, I think it's going to change everything. Have you met your roommate yet?"

"No." Buffy said with a shake of her head.

"Me neither." Willow murmured, still slightly sore that she hadn't been roomed with Buffy, like the two had hoped. "I hope she's cool."

Buffy looked down her eyes catching the brightly coloured fliers on top of Willow's folders. "I see you got ticketed too."

"Yes!" Willow exclaimed. "I've heard about five different issues and I'm angry about each and every one of them." Willow looked over at Buffy's small pile. "What did you get?"

Buffy looked down at the flier on top. "Jello shots!"

Willow frowned in disappointment. "I didn't get Jello shots." Willow rifled through her fliers and picked out one. "I-I'll trade you for a-a Take Back the Night." Willow said trying to hand it to her petite blond friend.

Buffy didn't comment on the name of the flier, although it did bring back memories of being tied up to a stake with occult books piled underneath her for fuel. She smiled at Willow and simply handed over all her fliers, earning a beaming ecstatic smile from Willow as she happily took them all glad that she hadn't had to give up one of her own fliers in exchange. Buffy looked ahead of them, suddenly remembering where she was supposed to be heading. "Are we heading anywhere near Wiesman Hall? I still need to get my I.D card." Buffy asked looked around for the hall.

"Oh, I got mine this morning." Willow frowned. "The lines are really long now, you should have gone early."

"Well, I hope that I learn from this experience, and that I grow." Buffy quipped as she continued to walk in step with the red head along the path.

Willow glanced over at her best girlfriend. "I'm being annoying, aren't I?" Willow murmured .

"No." Buffy corrected quickly. "It's nice that you're excited."

Willow smiled widely. "It's just in High School, knowledge was pretty much frowned upon. You really had to work to learn anything. But here, the energy, the collective intelligence," Willow skipped slightly in her excitement. "It's like this force, this penetrating force, and I can just feel my mind opening up, you know?" Willow looked around the campus with a dreamy expression. "And letting this place thrust into, and spurt knowledge into…" Willow trailed off as she caught the look Buffy was giving her. "That sentence ended up in a different place than it started out in." She muttered self-consciously.

Buffy smiled slightly. "I'm with you though. I'm all for spurty knowledge. It's just, a little overwhelming." Buffy turned to Willow hopefully. "Don't you feel it?"

"Well, I'm…" Willow began only to trail off as she was distracted by seeing Oz walking down the hill towards them. "Ooh, boyfriend! My on-campus boyfriend." She exclaimed excitedly. Oz walked up to her with a half smile on his face, as he leaned forward and kissed Willow with a tender passion.

"Oh no, I forgot to pick mine up." Buffy quipped uncomfortably. "Line's probably really long there, too." She mumbled to herself as she looked away from the couple. She was glad for Oz and Willow she really was! It was just really hard sometimes to see past the fact that the man/demon she loved, didn't love her.

"How are you?" Willow asked Oz as they broke apart, not noticing Buffy's uncomfortableness.

"Good." Oz replied. "It's pretty much a madhouse."

Buffy looked back up at them, relieved that she seemed to have found someone else that found this place as overwhelming as she did. "I know, I was just saying that to Willow. I mean it's just so overwhelming. Don't you feel completely disoriented?"

Before Oz could answer a guy noticing Oz walked over to them. "Oz!" He called.

"Hey Paul." Oz greeted turning to face Paul.

"Finally matriculating with us, very cool!" He ribbed good naturedly. "Tell me you're playing this week!"

Oz nodded. "Thursday night, Alpha Delta."

"Ooh!" Willow cried holding up one of the fliers Buffy had given her. "I have that one!"

Buffy looked at them helplessly, a grow sense of aloneness growing in the pit of her stomach as she watched her two friends seamlessly embed themselves in college life without some much as a nervous twitch. "I'm bringing the wrecking crew." Paul informed Oz. "Jello shots. Hmm?" Paul turned more serious. "Do you know where they're distributing the work study applications?"

"Back of Richmond Hall, next to the auditorium." Ox replied pointing in the general direction with his finger.

"Thanks. See ya bro." Paul called as he walked off with a wave.

"Go get 'em." Oz called after his friend, before turning back to Buffy and the conversation they had been having. "My band's played here a lot." He said in explanation for knowing Paul. "It's still new he assured, making Buffy smile in relief again, until Oz saw someone else he knew across the campus. "Hey, Doug."

"Well, I've got to get to Wiesman hall, before the line get's any longer." Buffy muttered, turning to continue down the path.

"Oh, I'll come with." Willow exclaimed, giving a cheerful wave to Oz as he moved off in the opposite direction.

* * *

A while later Buffy and Willow walked into another building and began walking down a hallway as they wandered the campus, familiar rising themselves with it. Willow looked up at a staircase and smiled brightly as she saw the sign. "Library… Ooh! Library. C'mon." Willow urged. Buffy smiled and mounted the steps with Willow.

"It's too bad Giles can't be librarian here. Be convenient." Buffy murmured as they reached a landing and turned left to mount another staircase.

"Well, he says that he's enjoying being a gentleman of leisure." Willow explained.

"Gentleman of leisure?" Buffy repeated giving Willow a look. "Isn't that just British for unemployed?"

Willow smiled and nodded. "Uh-huh, he's a slacker now."

"Speaking of slack, have you heard anything from Xander?" Buffy asked, not having heard anything from the brown haired boy for a long while.

Willow shook her head. "Not for a while, he's still on his cross-country-see-America thing." Willow explained as they reached another landing, and turned to once again climb another flight of stairs. "He said he wasn't coming back until he had driven to all fifty states."

Buffy glanced over a Willow. "Did you explain about Hawaii?" She asked.

Willow looked down guilty. "Oh, he seemed so determined. I didn't want to put a big gigantic hole in that see the whole of America attitude."

Buffy nodded her understanding. "I hope he gets back soon. It'd be fun to have the whole gang back together, you know, hang out in the… library." Buffy gaped as they finally reached their destination. "Wow!" She breathed as she took in the huge room, and the high ceiling.

"Oh my gosh! Isn't this amazing?" Willow exclaimed, resisting the urge to do a happy dance as she looked at the vast library, her fingers already itching to get a hold of some of the books that were stacked so neatly on the shiny polished shelves… the shelves at the old High School library never shined!

"It's… cozy." Buffy muttered as she looked around, not as overly enthused by the large library as Willow. This place didn't feel like a place where they could have their secret Scooby meetings about what new peril was attacking Sunnydale. Buffy eyes roved around the many, many tables nearly all of them filled with students pouring through books. No… this… this wasn't a sanctuary like it had been at the High School… there was no privacy. Buffy frowned slightly, the one thing she hadn't really expected to change had, and she found that it had once again knocked her off kilter.

"You know," Willow observed. "I never wanted to hurt Giles' feeling, but occult books aside, our old library just didn't have the greatest selection. But this!"

"Yeah, this is great." Buffy said dubiously. "You know, if we ever need a place for the Nuremberg rallies."

Willow turned her eyes back to Buffy. "This is a real library." She explained, and she grinned as she heard somebody 'Shh' them. "See," She whispered eagerly. "We even have to whisper. It's like a whole new world." Willow exclaimed giddily, earning another 'shh' from the same student as well as a venomous glare.

Buffy looked around the library again, a huge wave of homesickness hitting her as she once again took in the large vastness of the library. Why was she the only one that seemed so out of place in this vast new world of knowledge seekers?

* * *

Buffy carried a small armload of books, students milled about her all hurrying to find their necessary books, none of them wanting to miss out. Buffy walked slowly down a bookshelf scanning its contents for the last book she needed. Willow came back over to her a shopping basket hung over her arm. "Here." Willow said gesturing the basket for Buffy to put their books in.

"Thanks." Buffy said, not wanting to mention that she had been fine carrying all their books without the aid of the basket. Buffy and Willow began walking again. "Can't wait til mom gets the bill for these books, I hope it's a funny aneurysm."

Willow looked down at their lists. "Introduction to Psychology." She murmured looking up at the shelf they were walking along. Her eyes catching sight of the books on top of the shelf half hanging over the edge.

Buffy looked up at them dubiously. "I'll get 'em. You know this store discriminates against short people." She muttered.

Willow smiled. "Oh, I think there's a protest next week."

Buffy moved closer to the shelf using it to help her reach higher as she leaned up on her toes. Her fingers brushed the books. She went to grab them, but her hand slipped knocking all four off instead. "Woah, oh." Buffy cried as they fell, and a man that had been crouched beside the end of the shelf let out a surprised pained sound and staggered back as all four books hit him simultaneously on the head. "Ohm ahh." Buffy stuttered shocked. "Oh God, I'm so sorry." Buffy apologized profusely.

Willow and Buffy looked at him as he stood up. "I'm ok. It's ok." He said reassuringly. "Well, that was bracing."

"I'm so…" Buffy went to apologize again, but changed her mind. "The books were just too high, and then everything was bad." Buffy mentally shook herself, as she reran that sentence through her head. _'Pull yourself together Summers! So what if you hit him on the head with like half a dozen Psychology books… thick Psychology books.'_ Buffy bent down quickly to help prevent herself from spewing any more crazy babble.

"Let me give you a hand." He offered slightly wincing as the movement made his sudden headache throb. He grabbed a couple of the books and looked them over. "Let's put a few of these down here." He said as he placed them in the shelf on a level closer to the ground. "So, uh, are you girls taking Intro Psych, or do you just want me dead."

"Uh huh." Buffy answered, before realizing how that sounded. "I mean the first one." She added looking a way embarrassedly. _'What in the world was wrong with her?'_ She thought slightly flustered still from the accident and now her mouth that seemed to want to make her look like a babbling idiot.

"Well," Riley said looking away from the cute, but definitely strange blond. To the red head. "You'll have a lot of fun. Professor Walsh… she's quite a character."

"You've taken it?" Willow asked excitedly, her eyes lighting up.

"I'm a TA, I'll be helping the Professor out." Riley looked from one to the other again. "I'm sorry, I've forgotten my manners in all the concussion… I'm Riley."

"Willow." The red head said indicating herself. "And this is my friend Buffy." Willow introduced gesturing at the petite blond. She looked between them for a moment thoughtfully, the thought flickering through her head that, the two would make a cute couple, and Riley seemed like such a great guy, far better for Buffy then Angel had ever been… what with all the creature of the night stuff, and the pain that was Angelus.

"It's nice to meet you both." Riley said politely.

"I'm nice to meet." Buffy replied, earning herself a surprised look from Riley. Buffy looked down when Riley looked away again distracted by Willow.

"Hey, do you know if we're going to be studying 'Operant Conditioning' in the first semester? 'Cause I hear that's kinda Professor Walsh's specialty." Willow asked as Buffy mentally berated herself.

Why was she acting like a stuttering fool? Sure Riley was a little cute, but he had nothing on Angel, or even the dark leather wearing look of Angelus. Buffy thought confirming it with a discrete glance up at Riley from under her lashes. And she never babbled like this much of a fool in front of him… it must be the fact that I tip a load of heavy books on his head. Buffy frowned at her gaze dropped back to the ground at her feet. Beside even if she did like Riley in that way, she wouldn't be able to anything about it… not with Angelus' reappearance into her life after a summer of not having to deal with him. All she'd end up doing was getting Riley killed. Buffy nodded to herself slightly. It was better off for everyone involved if she just continued acting like a ditsy idiot. She decided.

"Absolutely." Riley agreed as Buffy looked up from her mental berating, having decided on a course of action. "Do you know her treatise on Dietrichs work?"

"I know of it." Willow sighed longingly.

"It's not in the syllabus, but it's a fascinating read… if you're into that sort of thing." He muttered clearing his throat, realizing he was sounding a bit overzealous. "They have it here."

"Oh, where?" Willow asked eagerly.

"I'll show you. I don't meet that many freshmen that know that much about psychology."

"Well, it's fascinating." Willow breathed.

"Yeah, you know, 'cause everyone's got a brain." Riley gave her a polite half smile, before gesturing to Willow that it was this way, as he began leading them.

Willow glanced over at Buffy giving her a concerned, but slightly sharp look, feeling that something was up with her friend, the flustered stage should have been over during her long silence in the conversation. Buffy half shrugged at her nonchalantly, and Willow gave her a last searching look, before heading off after Riley. Buffy sighed and followed, knowing that she was going to have to give Willow an explanation for her behaviour.

* * *

A little while later Buffy and Willow walked out of the bookstore, and as they mounted the steps, Willow turned on Buffy. "Ok, so what was the whole I'm just an average Joe, stereotypical blond act in there Buffy? I mean Riley is cute, not that I'm interested, but he seemed interested in you until you decided to go all…"

Buffy sighed. "Willow for one thing I'm totally not interested, and secondly… after you left last night… Angelus payed me a visit,"

"What?" Willow exclaimed, earning a sharp look from her friend, and Willow glanced around, before lowering her voice. "I thought you said he'd left town?"

Buffy shrugged. "I hadn't seen him all summer, so I thought that it was a possibility, but it seemed that he was just spending time working on whatever diabolical plan he's cooked up now to make my life miserable."

Willow narrowed her eyes at Buffy. "So, what? You're just not going to have a life, because Angelus is stalking you."

Buffy looked at Willow surprised, before shaking her head, at the red head. "No, I'm going to have a life, that consists of doing my best to get my upperclassmen and my fellow freshmen killed."

Willow sighed, "You know… you could just kill him, and then you wouldn't have to worry about it anymore."

Buffy shot Willow a look. "It's not that simple. I thought you understood that." Buffy said feeling more than a little hurt that her best friend thought that she wasn't dusting Angelus for the hell of it. "Angel means more to me, than words could ever fully explain." Buffy said firmly before hurrying down the stairs her books in her arms.

Willow looked after Buffy shocked. "Buffy, wait! I-I… damn." Willow muttered to herself as she watched Buffy reach the end of the stairs. She really hadn't thought that Angel would still be playing on Buffy's mind so strongly after all this time. With a much more sedate pace Willow made her way down the stairs. Hopefully a guy would catch Buffy's interest, and turn her mind from Angel. Willow thought hopefully, she really didn't think it was natural for Buffy to cling onto Angel's memory for so long. The red head frowned as she remembered last year sitting across from Buffy on the petite blonds bed holding her as she cried over the loss of Angel for a second time, and told her of the pain that she didn't think she could face again without dying.

* * *

Buffy walked winding her way through the bustling students as she walked down the hall that her dorm room was located. She sighed to herself as she headed down the hall. She'd overreacted with Willow she knew, she shouldn't have taken Willow's comment do hard, there was truth to it after all. If she dusted Angelus all her problems would go away. She wouldn't have to worry about being seen with a boy, or even dating a nice boy, and it wasn't as if Willow knew of her feelings for the dark demon. Buffy rubbed at her chest, knocking the shoulder of a boy in her distraction. But at the mention of killing Angelus her heart had constricted painfully and fear had consumed her. fear of his loss. Buffy sighed she was a walking contradiction! She loved Angelus, but she didn't want to! He wasn't right for her, he didn't even like her! _'I don't loathe you.'_ She heard Angelus' delirium filled voice in her head. God how her heart had jumped and scurried with a hope that she had forcefully and ruthlessly smashed down when she had heard those words. She didn't put much stock in them, he'd been delirious after all.

The look in his eyes, the look that she couldn't, or didn't want to place as she had been staring across at him from in the darkness after the fight with The Mayor, haunted her, she couldn't shake the look. Those eyes haunted her dreams. Buffy shook her head she didn't want to think about it. she didn't want to think about him, it only led to more pain, but now that he was making a reappearance in her life… she was undoubtedly in for a whole new world of pain. After all you didn't haul yourself away for a summer and not cook up a few new ideas on how to make the person you want miserable… just that to an impossibly large degree. Buffy shivered and bit back a whimper, and she scowled determinedly. She'd handled what he'd thrown at her before she could do it again, right?

Buffy looked back as she walked past an open door the numbers on it catching her eye. Seeing the number 214 attached to it, she backtracked and walked into the room. Her eyes landing on young woman with her suitcase opened on the left hand side bed. Buffy looked about the room curiously, as she slowly walked into the room. "Hi." Buffy greeted.

The young dark haired woman looked up from her unpacking, a perky smile on her face. "Oh, hi! Are you Buffy?"

"Yeah." Buffy nodded, as she continued looking around the room, her eyes taking in the symmetry of the room, with the two beds, and then the two desks on the other side of the room opposite them.

"Kathy." The dark haired girl introduced herself.

"Hi," Buffy said again. "It's nice to meet you." Buffy put her things down on the right hand side desk, before walking over to the free bed and sat down on it.

"Yeah." Kathy murmured, the perky wide smile still fixed to her face.

"So, it ah… it's a pretty nice room." Buffy observed not sure what else to say to her roommate.

"Hmm!" Kathy exclaimed turning around, having turned back to her suitcase, a poster hanging down her arms. "I was surprised, 'cause you hear horror stories about freshmen housing." Kathy looked at the bed Buffy was sitting on, then her things piled on the right hand side desk. "You took the right side?"

"Yeah." Buffy said self consciously. "Umm, but if you want it…" She offered.

"No, no." Kathy cut her off. "I just wanted to make sure that's what you wanted. Excited for classes tomorrow?" Kathy asked as she turned to observe her side of the wall of the apartment, looking for a good spot to hang her poster.

"Painfully." Buffy quipped.

Kathy laughed good naturedly, turning back to look at Buffy. "I bet there's going to be a lot of parties to go to this week, too. Not that I'm a crazy partier. Oh, and I'm not always this hyper, either. I'm just excited." Kathy beamed.

"Yeah, me too." Buffy agreed with much less enthusiasm.

Kathy crossed the room with her poster heading towards the wall. "I'm really glad they put me with somebody cool." Kathy said talking to Buffy over her shoulder as she began sticking down the brightly coloured poster of Celine Dion to the wall. "I can tell that you're cool. I just know that this whole year is going to be super fun!" Kathy exclaimed as she stuck down the bottom corners of her poster.

Buffy looked at it for a long moment, trying not to judge her new roomies taste in music. She turned her eyes away from it.

* * *

Buffy lay in her bed looking up at the ceiling, as Kathy snored beside her, occasionally smacking her lips. Buffy looked over at the digital clock on the nightstand separating their beds, and sighed. It was still early, much earlier than she was used to going to bed. She was taking the night off slaying so that she could be fully rested for her first bout of college classes tomorrow, much good it was doing her, though. Buffy rolled onto her side facing away from Kathy and determinedly closed her eyes wanting sleep.

But the noise in the room and her mind wouldn't let her. Her thoughts continuously drifted to Angelus and what horrors he could possibly have in store for her now. Buffy brought her hand up to her neck gently cupping the scar in the shape of Angelus' fangs. The raised skin was still sensitive even after all these weeks since it had happen. Worry fluttered in her belly, and her eyes opened and she stared out into the darkness. Angelus could still enter her family home, where mother would now be lying in her bed asleep. Buffy curled herself into a ball, her hand curling into fists as she placed them on the mattress in front of her.

* * *

Angelus climbed up the tree that led to Buffy's bedroom window. Easily jumping from the tree to the roof, he walked silently over to Buffy's closed window, easily opening it he slipped into her room, and looked around, his eyes taking in its bareness. Angelus sank down on the bed, lying down on it his head resting on her old pillow as he looked up the ceiling. Her lingering scent filling his senses. He searched for her out on patrol, had even walked the grounds of the college looking for her. He found wisps of her scent her on the grounds, but nothing to suggest that she was out patrolling.

He'd followed it though, picking her scent out of the din, an almost impossible task as her scent mingled with the others living in the same dorm building. But he'd done it, he'd followed it all the way to dorm room number 214, he'd been tempted to knock, but he hadn't, her roommate had been asleep and Buffy… Buffy probably would have slammed the door in his face. Angelus smirked to himself… there was always tomorrow night, he knew where she lived now. There was no real hurry. Angelus buried his face in her pillow breathing in her scent for a moment, before getting up and walking the room, looking at the things she had left behind.

His eyes landed on the picture she had once pointed out to Angel, which had led to them making a date to go to the ice rink. He picked it up and looked at the image of the child Buffy, after a moment he placed it back down and turned away from it. Without further perusal of the things Buffy had chosen to leave behind Angelus slipped back out the window closing it behind him, before taking off into the night.

* * *

Professor Reegert took a sip from his soda wetting his mouth before he continued with his introductory lecture. "The point of this course is not to critique popular American culture. It is not to pick at it, or look down upon it. And it is not to watch videos for credit." He said earning a small round of laughter from the students. Buffy looked around at them from her position in one of the middle rows closer to the back of the class. "The point is to examine..."

Buffy leaned to a female student beside her. "Do you know if this class is full yet?" She whispered, earning a disapproving look from the girl.

The Professor looked up at Buffy from his position in annoyance. "And there are two people talking at once, and I know that one of them is me. And the other is… a blond girl. You, blond girl. Stand up. I'm excited to hear what you have to say that's worth interrupting my lecture for."

Buffy looked around at the other students, before nervously standing to her feet. "I was just asking if the class was still open, if I could still sign up." Buffy told him trying to ignore the staring of the other students of the class.

Professor Reegert took a step back towards his desk, and picked up the clipboard resting there. He held it up for the entire class to see. "If your name isn't on this sheet then you are wasting everyone's time." He turned his eyes back to the petite blond standing awkwardly in amongst the rows of students. "Are you on this sheet?"

"They told me that if I just…" Buffy began.

Reegert interrupted. "Do you understand? You are sucking energy from everyone in this room. They came to learn. Get out!"

Buffy gathered her things. "I didn't mean to… suck." She muttered in an attempt of an apology.

"Leave!." Reegert said in a carrying voice.

Buffy turned and began making her way through the students sitting in their seats looking up at her. Some with pity and others with annoyance. Buffy paused, and turned back to the Professor. "Thank you." She said quickly, before continuing on her way out, as Reegert who didn't want to waste any more time on the energy sucking blond turned back to his class to continue his lecture.

Buffy walked out of the building and onto the grounds. Looking around she walked over to a tree not too far away, and sat down at its base leaning against it. Bringing her knees up and hugging her chest, her bag with her books lying on the grass beside her. As she sat there she closed her eyes and allowed herself to pretend that it was familiar cool arms wrapped around her, offering her comfort, and encouraging words to keep her motivated. Buffy opened her eyes with a heavy sigh, imaginings like that would do her no good. Angelus would never sooth, or comfort her in anyway, unless he told her he planned on killing her quickly, which she severely doubted would ever happen.

* * *

Buffy looked around a busy hallway, wondering where Psychology was in the large unfamiliar hall. Riley spotting her on his way stopped by her. "If uh, you're looking for Psych, it's through here." He pointed.

Buffy smiled up at him gratefully as they began walking towards the indicated classroom. "Oh thanks. How's your head?" She asked regretfully.

"Sorry?"Riley asked as they entered the classroom that was filling up with students.

Buffy looked up at him surprised, sure that he had directed her to Psych because he had recognized her. "Yesterday… in the bookstore… you don't remember." She sighed feeling stupid for bringing it up.

"Oh no, sure, I remember you. You're Willow's friend." Riley said, remembering the strange girl that had accidentally tipped the books down on his head.

"Yeah." Buffy said confirmingly.

"My heads fine, it just stung for a bit and I lost most of my basic motor functions. I'm sorry, I'm trying to remember you?"

"Buffy." She replied, with a small relieved smile, it seemed that she wouldn't have to worry about getting this guy killed by Angelus.

"Buffy, right. Have fun tonight, ok?" Riley said as he began to make his way over to the teachers desk.

Buffy turned towards the tiers, but turned back worriedly. "You know, I was just wondering. Professor Walsh isn't planning on yelling at me and kicking me out of the class, is she?"

Riley gave her a confused look, and fixed a polite smile on his face. "It's not in her lesson plan." Up in the tier's Willow smiled slightly as she saw Buffy, and Riley talking, perhaps her friend wasn't so uninterested.

"Great." Buffy said relieved, before turning back to the tiers. Spotting Willow and Oz she walked up to them, taking a seat beside Willow. "Hey." Buffy said with a smile that was apologetic for her abrupt departure at the bookstore.

Willow smiled in return, seeing that the teacher wasn't there yet she leaned towards Buffy. "How was pop culture?"

"I decided not to take it. It seemed dull." Buffy said uncomfortably, as she settled her stuff.

Willow was about to make her own apology for her perhaps hurtful words that had led to Buffy hurrying off on her, when Professor Walsh marched into the room, heading straight her desk. Setting down her briefcase on it, she took a sheet of paper that Riley handed. "Ok." She said finally looking up at the tiers and the students sitting in the seats. "This is Psych 105, Introduction to Psychology, I'm Professor Walsh." She began her lecture as she leaned back against her desk, and crossed her arms. "Those of you who fall under my good graces will come to know me as Maggie. Those of you don't will come to know me by the name my TA's use, and think I don't know about, 'The evil Bitch Monster of Death'. Make no mistake, I run a hard class, I assign a lot of work, I talk fast and I expect you to keep up." Walsh surveyed her students coolly. "If you're looking to coast I recommend Geology 101, that's where the football players are."

Buffy swallowed, as she listened to Professor Walsh's lecture. It seemed that she was in for one hell of a year, and this was only the first day!

* * *

Buffy walked along a footpath, looking around searching for the hall she was looking for. She really missed the small campus of the High School, there was no way that you got lost on those grounds. Buffy collided with a student walking the opposite way. "Ooh!" Buffy said in surprise.

"Wow, sorry." The boy said looking up from his map.

"No, I-I wasn't looking." Buffy said looking up at the dark haired, lanky boy she had bumped into.

"Did you, uh lose your way?" He asked looking around the dark campus.

"Me? Oh, no, no. I'm just going to Fischer Hall…" Buffy looked around. "Which I know is on the Earth planet. Recently voted 'Most Pathetic.' Uh huh." Buffy said in a teasing tone, trying not to sound like she was embarrassed about being lost… again.

"Hmm, well, I'm lost and I have a map." He said holding up the sheet of paper that was creased with fold lines. "So…"

"Ooh, I come in second. I'm Buffy, by the way."

"Eddie." The Boy replied.

Buffy stepped closer to him look at the map over his arm as he held it out. "Ok, so… That's Fischer Hall, right?" She asked pointing to the spot on the map.

"Ok," Eddie agreed. "And that's Dunwirth Building, that's my dorm…" He explained. "It's just… it's us I can't find." He muttered hopelessly, looking around the campus once again.

Buffy frowned at the map, and searched the grounds, before looking back at the map. "Are we the blue part?" She asked.

"No…" Eddie muttered, before taking a closer look and perking up. "Yes!"

"Ok, right, so I-I came from there," She murmured pointing in the direction of the hall she had just left. "Then we just wanna go that way." Buffy said pointing in the direction she had been heading. "To the bike path.

"You sound very certain, I'm in." Eddie said lowering the map as they began walking towards the bike path, he looked over at her, and noticed the books she held to her chest. "You're taking Psych 105 with Professor Walsh." He stated.

"Yeah, I mean, I'm gonna try." Buffy corrected with a dubious frown. "She's not afraid of the long words, huh?"

"Yeah, she's pretty intense. A lot of the courses are really tough." Eddie agreed with a matching dubious expression.

"I'm a little upset. I had it on good authority that this was a party school." Buffy murmured lightly.

"I think it's supposed to get easier." Eddie said, not sounding very certain that it would.

"I still feel like carrying around a security blanket." Buffy admitted as they turned with the path.

"'Of Human Bondage.' Have you read it?" Eddie asked.

"Oh," Buffy said flustered. "I'm not really into porn… I mean I'm just… I'm trying to cut way back."

Eddie laughed at Buffy's mistake. "No, there's no actually bondage," He assured. "It's just a novel. I've read it like, ten times. I always keep it by my bed… security blanket." He added to explain why he had brought it up.

Buffy frowned to herself, as she thought of Angelus. "I don't really have a security blanket… unless you count Mr. Pointy." Buffy said unthinkingly.

"Mr. Pointy?" Eddie questioned, not sure what to make of the name.

"Oh, bike path." Buffy said pointing to the narrow path they had been heading towards, to escape from what was about to become a very awkward attempt at covering her tracks. "So, it's nice to know that I'm not the only entirely confused person on this campus." Buffy said as she turned to face Eddie.

"I suspect there's a lot of us." Eddie said softly, with a small shrug.

"Well, I'll look for you in Psych." Buffy promised.

"Yeah, maybe we can help each other figure out what the hell they're talking about."

Buffy laughed with a nod. "Ok." She agreed.

"Maybe even make it through the year." Eddie said with a laugh of his own, as he turned to continue up the path he had to take to get to his dorm room.

"Goodnight." Buffy called after him.

Eddie turned slightly to look over at her as he continued to walk, he gave her a small wave. "Night." He said with a kind hope filled smile. Buffy turned and began walking away.

Eddie smiled happily at her retreating form, glad that he had found another person that was as confused about college as he was, turning around to once again continue towards his dorm. He walked a few steps, when he was pulled to a stop as arms grabbed him from behind, a cold hand settling over his mouth preventing his scream from being heard. He looked behind him to see that a man with a deformed face was behind him. Hearing movement in front of him he saw another two people with deformed face staring at him hungrily, before they parted to reveal an attractive blond woman. His eyes landed on her fearfully as she took a step towards him, her arms clasped behind her back. "I'm sorry." She apologized mockingly, as she leaned towards him. "Did you lose your way?"

* * *

Buffy moved down the footpath heading towards Fischer Hall, only to come to a sudden stop as a solid body moved out of the darkness and into her way. She looked at the familiar chest covered in green silk, and wearing his leather duster for a second, before tilting her head back to look up at his face. Buffy took a step back from him and scowled her light mood from earlier darkening again. "I didn't think you worked the university." Buffy grumbled.

Angelus shrugged. "I don't usually. To easy. All these trees, large campus. It's like stealing candy from a baby." Angelus smirked at her. "I need a challenge."

Buffy gave him a look. "So, then I suppose you're here because, your un-life just isn't complete without getting your nightly dose of making Buffy miserable. You must have been so annoyed that you couldn't get any licks in last night." Buffy muttered, glaring up at him as she waited for whatever hurtful comment was about to fall from his lips.

"Well, actually no." Buffy looked up at him with wary surprise. "I came here to see how your first day of UC Sunnydale went, but then I saw you with that boy, what was his name," Angelus cocked his head to the side. "Eddie?"

Buffy's expression went from wary surprise to anger, and without second thought she pulled her arm, her hand curled in a fist and she punched him, making his head rock back. "Don't you dare!" Buffy snarled. "Don't you go anywhere near him!" Angelus turned back to look at her, a little blood on his lip where it had busted. "He was just a guy with a map." Buffy cried looking at him with angry fearful eyes. "He's just a guy." Buffy muttered. "And he doesn't deserve whatever's running through that psychopathic head of yours." She bit out.

Angelus touched a hand to his lip wiping away the blood from the already healed wound, and he stepped closer to Buffy and her small trembling with emotion form. "Alri…" Angelus began, but was cut off.

"I won't let you hurt him." Buffy declared, a vision of Scott's lifeless body filling her vision followed by the small futile chase she had given when Angelus went after the man that had stopped and asked if she was alright last Christmas. She punched him again, making him take an unwilling step back this time.

Angelus growled lowly as he straightened, catching the punch she threw at him and forcing her arm down with a lot of effort, he managed to catch the other punch she aimed at him, and he forced both her arms behind her back, bringing her up against him. "Would you stop that, and listen to me." He rumbled.

Buffy looked up at him as she struggled to pull her hands free from his, with angry eyes. Ignoring as best she could the feeling of his strong body pressed up against hers. "I'm not going to hurt the boy." He assured her.

Buffy looked up at him with disbelief. "Why? Nothings stopped you before."

Angelus half smiled down at her. "Because I don't need to."

"Wha…" Buffy began to question, but was cut off as Angelus' mouth took possession of hers. His tongue slipping between her parted lips to explore the heated depths. Buffy's sounds of protest quickly died as the talented persuasive kiss heated her blood in such a way that only he had been able to manage before.

Angelus growled contentedly as he felt her sink into the kiss, her tongue coming up to rub against his. Leaving her mouth after a long moment, the sound of Buffy's panted breaths sounding strongly in his ears, and her heavy arousal filling his nose with her unique scent, and the pleasant scent of her vanilla body lotion. He trailed wet kisses down her cheek, heading towards her neck, and the scar he had left there. Buffy moaned softly as she felt his lips press against the skin under jaw before beginning to trail down her neck. Angelus worked his way down to the mark that physically marked her as his. It wasn't a true mating mark, not yet… but it let others know that the intention was there.

As soon as his tongue ran over the raised flesh of the scar his face shifted uncontrollably, with the desire to make it into a mating mark. Buffy's eyes shot up and fear shot through her as she felt his fangs brush against the vulnerable skin of her neck, and with a quick movement, taking Angelus by surprise she broke free of his grip and shoved him away. One of her hands coming up to feel the scar, making sure that he hadn't drawn blood, her eyes never leaving. Angelus' amber gaze met hers steadily, a small frown drawing down his brow ridges. "What's the matter Buff? This face never used to bother you."

Buffy swung her leg out at him in a powerful kick, sending Angelus to the ground. Buffy placed her foot on his chest like she had the first time she had met Angel. "It's not the face that bothers me Angelus." She put more pressure on his chest, even though she knew it wouldn't make a difference, it's not like he breathed, but it managed to make her feel a little better. "It's what you're planning to do with that face that gets to me." Buffy growled at him, her hand unconsciously coming up to rub at her neck again where she had felt her fangs graze her skin. "I won't let you turn me." Buffy said firmly. _'I'd die first.'_ Echoed in her mind, but she didn't say it, not wanting to put any ideas into his head. There was more than enough in there already. He didn't need her to add fuel to the fire.

Buffy removed her foot from his chest, the stake she had hidden pressed against her skin accusingly, as she gave him one last long look, before she turned, picked up the books that she had dropped to the ground when she had started attacking him, and walked in a hurried pace towards her Fischer Hall. Angelus picked himself up, letting his face shift back into the smooth plains of the human, and sighed. He was uncomfortably hard, his cock pressing uncomfortably against the restraining leather of his pants, despite that he smiled to himself as he watched her retreating back. Things could have gone worse. Angelus turned and walked the other way whistling jauntily to himself. He paused for a moment when he came across an area that had the small signs of a scuffle having taken place. He shrugged to himself and moved on, not caring, his mind going back to Buffy and what would be his next best move.

* * *

Eddie's dorm room, the door was pushed open and three vampires rush in and quickly sweep everything into the boxes they brought with them. Cleaning the small single dorm room in a matter of moments. The long blond haired guy vamp sat down on the desk and pulled Eddie's personal pad towards him and grabbed a pen out of the plastic cup that had been designated pen holder. Scribbling down a rough hasty fair well note, the minion ripped it out, taking the pad and the pen he dropped the note on the now bare mattress, and left the room shutting the door with a soft click behind him.

* * *

Buffy walked along the mostly empty hall of her dorm. As she trudged down it, a deep scowl darkening her face as she mentally berated herself for responding to Angelus' kiss. Her lips and mouth still tingling from the sensual attack, the skin on her neck missing Angelus' attentions as much as her mouth was. Buffy sighed as she slowly opened the door to her shared dorm, and carefully walked in, her eyes flicking to Kathy as she snored. Shutting the door Buffy moved around in the dark as she got ready for bed.

As she climbed in pulling the covers over herself she ran her tongue along her mouth, the feel and taste of Angelus' tongue still whispering like a ghost through her mouth. Buffy shook herself, and laid down closing her eyes a moment later she opened them the image of Angelus as he looked down at her before he kissed her, that strange look in their depths haunting. "Damn it!" She cursed softly, and rolled over, trying again.

* * *

At the end of Psych Buffy looked around for Eddie as her classmates filed past her, not having seen Eddie despite trying to discretely search for him during class. Willow and Oz stopped beside her. "You looking for someone?" Oz asked glancing around at the almost empty classroom.

"Yeah." Buffy replied distractedly.

"You made a friend?" Willow beamed. "Good for you."

"Thanks, mom." Buffy quipped teasingly, as she continued to search the class hopefully, upon not seeing him she sighed and walked out of the classroom, when they reached the hallway Buffy stopped in her tracks. "You know what, I'm gonna go see if I can find him." Buffy said as she walked off remembering that he said he lived in the Dunwirth building.

"Him!" Willow questioned as Buffy walked off worry curling in her gut as she manoeuvred through the milling students that were hurrying through the halls.

Buffy stood in the doorway to the single dorm room that was Eddie's, the building's RA standing beside her holding a clipboard. "Yeah, Eddie just took off, packed his stuff, left a note." He said indicating the note that was left on the bed. "Happens sometimes." He said with a shrug. "People just can't handle it. There's always a few kids who lose it early in the first semester and just bail." Buffy crossed the room and over to the bed, picking up the note she sat down, as she read it over.

'This is too much to handle. I can't take it anymore. No time to say goodbye! Eddie.' Buffy read with a small frown. "Weak ones, I guess." The RA said with another shrug, before turning and leaving Buffy in the empty dorm room. Buffy placed the note on the bedside table, looking at it she noticed that the top drawer was partially opened. Grabbing the handle she pulled the drawer out a little more, her hazel eyes landing on a copy of M. Somerset Maugham's 'Of Human Bondage.' With a frown Buffy picked it up and looked at it, the worry that had been beginning to settle roared back to life in her belly. Eddie wouldn't leave this behind, you didn't leave your security blanket behind!

Buffy dropped the book back in the drawer and closed it, before getting up off the bed and marching out of the dorm, and out of the school grounds.

* * *

Eddie lay unmoving deathly pale in a cluttered room, around him the vampires that had killed him are looking over his things. The female minion picked up a purple sweater holding it against herself trying to judge how it would look without the aid of a mirror. Sunday sat in her chair that was raised off the ground, making it look like a throne. She held Eddie's CD's in her hands as she lounged back in her throne. "Boring," She sighed throwing yet another CD into the pile that was designated as junk. "Boring, boring, boring, boring." She sighed again as looked at another CD cover. "Astonishingly boring." She threw the remaining CD's in the junk pile. "We-we have to kill some cooler people. Will somebody remind me?"

The female minion turned to face her now wearing the purple sweater. "You were the one who said pick on the weak ones, thin the herd and all that." She looked down at herself then back at Sunday. "Does this sweater make me look fat?"

Sunday rolled her eyes at her. "No, the fact that you're fat makes you look fat. That sweater just makes you look purple."

"You're such a loser." The female minion muttered, pulling the sweater off over her head.

"Hey, words hurt like a fist." Sunday mocked fisting her hand over her heart mockingly.

"Hey, check it out." The male long blond haired minion said holding up a rolled up poster.

Sunday leaned forward in her throne. "Well? Do we have a Klimt?" Her minion opened it. "Yes!" Sunday said making a triumphant gesture.

He carried the poster over to a wall were two different styles of posters were hung up. "Big score for Klimt." He cried as he stapled the poster to the wall. 'Monet still well in the lead, but look out for team Klimt, coming from behind." He picked up a marker and made a mark on the white board that had been set up, under the Klimt column.

Sunday leaned back in her chair as if she hadn't cared. "Freshmen!" She scoffed. "Man, they're so predictable."

"And you can never just eat one." The blond haired minion said from his position by the whiteboard.

"Yeah." The female minion agreed. "I'm hungry.

Sunday rolled her eyes. "What a shock. We eat when I say we eat." She said firmly.

"Well, we could hit the tunnels." The hungry female minion suggested hopefully.

Sunday sat up in her chair. "We eat," She stood and her face shifted and she growled threateningly. "When I say we eat!"

The female minion rolled her eyes. "God, lighten up."

"I think it's funny when you scream… it's like…" The minion growled. "Whoa!"

Sunday jumped down from her throne. "I gotta get me some better lackeys. I swear, you guys are useless." She walked across the room. "I shouldn't even take you out on the hunt."

The female minion put her hands on her hips. "Great! Why don't you let dead Eddie get your dinner?" She growled.

Sunday smirked over at the minion. "That's pretty much the plan." At that moment Eddie's eyes shot open as Sunday walked past him and out of the room.

* * *

Buffy stalked up the hill too Angelus' mansion and threw aside the curtain barring her entrance. Looking around the room, she continued on when she didn't see him. Buffy walked through to the main room just as Angelus came down from the stairs having sense her coming. His half smile was met with a dark scowl. "So, Buff. To what do I owe the plea… oww!" He muttered as Buffy slugged him harshly in the face.

"You killed him! After you said that you wouldn't. That you didn't need to." Buffy growled using her fingers for quotation marks.

"Killed who, Buff?" Angelus asked as he dodged another punch.

Buffy tried to kick him only to have the effort blocked. "Eddie. You know the boy you saw me talking to last night!"

Angelus blocked the punch she threw at him and grabbed hold of her arm. "Well, as much as I hate to not lay claim to a kill. The only person I killed last night was a tall red head at The Bronze."

Buffy paused glaring up at him breathing hard. "Oh, and I'm just supposed to believe you am I? A vampire that murders with a song in his heart."

Angelus shrugged. "Believe me or not lover. It's up to you. But when have I not laid claim to a kill, hmm?"

Buffy stepped back from him with a deep frown on her face, as she pictured Eddie's dorm room in her mind. The bareness of it, the note… Buffy met Angelus' eyes a strange sense of relief filling her at the realization she had come to. "It wasn't you." She muttered, before turning and hurrying out of the room, she paused for a second at the door. "And I am not your lover."

"I beg to differ, Buff!" Angelus called after her, as he watched her walk out of the room. He sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face. That was just great, some kid she talks to gets killed and she immediately suspected him. The past really was a bitch. Angelus sighed again and walked after his petite blond to see that she had already left through the side entrance, the thick black curtain still swaying slightly from her hasty exit. "We'll see how long it takes before you see that your mine." Angelus murmured. "And make no mistake Buff. You are mine." Angelus turned from the curtain wishing that he could go after her. The more time he spent with her, the quicker he'd be able to prove that he meant her no more harm.

* * *

Buffy opened the door to Giles apartment whilst knocking the sound of the music coming from Giles stereo blotting out the sound. Buffy closed the door behind her and walked further into the room, looking around for her father figure. "Giles?" She called.

Behind the counter an attractive black woman pulled out cheese placed on a plate. "Rupert, is this Blue cheese, or is it just cheese that's gone blue?" She asked as she walked around and out into the front room, stopping short in surprise when she saw the petite blond standing there looking at her in shock. "You're not Giles." She said, stating the obvious.

Buffy did her best to keep her eyes on the woman's face and not wonder if she was really only wearing a shirt that seemed too big to be hers. "Uhm…" Buffy said nervously. "You know that door was open, so I just… uh, Giles does still live here, right?" Buffy asked, almost hoping that the answer was no.

"He does." The woman replied, just as Giles coughed and turned off the music drawing their attention.

The woman smiled. "He appears." She said as Giles came out of the hallway and into the room, wearing a blue bathroom. "Rupert, you have a guest."

"Buffy! Hello." Giles greeted surprised at the unexpected company.

Buffy looked from the woman she had never met before to Giles. "Is this a bad time?"

"No!" Giles assured her looking over at his guest. "Oh uh, forgive me. This uh… this is uh, Olivia. She's uh, an old friend, she's staying here for a few days." He stuttered.

"Couldn't pass through sunny Cal without looking up ol' Ripper." Olivia said affectionately.

"Uh huh." Buffy said dubiously looking from Olivia to Giles and back again.

"Buffy's a uh, was a student of mine." Giles explained to Olivia before turning his eyes back to Buffy. "How's uh, how is university?"

"Pretty much the same as high school, in the sense that I need help." Buffy replied.

"Ahh… help… yes." Giles stuttered, shifting his glasses.

"But, this just looks like a bad time." Buffy said looking over at Olivia again.

"No, you guys talk." Olivia told them with a smile. "I'll just go slip into something a little less comfortable." As she turned to leave, she shared a look with Giles that didn't go unnoticed by the flustered, troubled Slayer before she left the room.

Giles turned his eyes back to Buffy, as Olivia mounted the stairs to Giles room. "So, uh, trouble with uh, studies?"

"This is a bad time." Buffy repeated glancing towards the stairs.

"You keep saying that." Giles noted.

"Well it looks pretty bad!" Buffy exclaimed. "I think someone had just a little too much free time on their hands."

"I'm not supposed to have a private life?" Giles questioned.

"No!" Buffy said firmly. "'Cause you're very, very old, and it's gross." Buffy whined.

"Well, before I succumb to the ravages of age, why don't you tell me what brings you here?" Giles intoned, reminding Buffy of why she had come.

"There's a student missing." Buffy said getting straight to the point.

"Yes?"

"Eddie. He's supposed to have left school, but… I just don't think he did. I met him outside last night, and then I went back where we met, and it looked like there had been a struggle and at first I thought Angelus, but it's not his EMO…"

"And?" Giles asked as stood in front of Buffy his arms crossed over his chest.

Buffy looked at him surprised. "And we need to stop this! And Eddie's RA said that kids disappear a lot. There could be a gang of vampires working the campus. We need research, an-an-and charts and stuff." Buffy said ticking the things they needed off with her fingers.

Giles uncrossed his arms and looked down at Buffy slightly uncomfortably. "I-I still don't see where I fit in. You haven't described anything that you can't do yourself."

Buffy looked up at him incredulously. Where was the man that did everything he could to help and guide her? "Ok, remember before you became Hugh Hefner, when you used to be a Watcher?"

"Officially you no longer have a Watcher." Giles took off his glasses, so that he didn't have to see the look in her eyes. "Buffy, you know I'll always be hear when you need me. Y-your safety is more important to me than anything but, you're going to have to take care of yourself. You're out of school and I can't always be there to guide you."

"I'm sorry to bug you." Buffy said sadly, turning towards the door.

"Buffy I…" Giles began.

Buffy turned back to him interrupting. "Oh! No! I mean yeah, you're… you're right. I can handle it. It's just that…" Buffy hesitated and changed her mind about telling Giles about her problem with adjusting to college. "I'm on it." Buffy turned again and began walking towards the door.

"I-I'm here if you need me." Giles called after her, just as she closed the door behind her. Giles sighed despondently and replaced his glasses, sometimes being a teacher could feel like the worst job in the world.

Olivia walked back to the room with jeans on and Giles shirt tucked into them. "She's gone?" She asked looking around for the petite blond that had asked for Giles help.

"Yes." Giles replied his eyes focused on the door where Buffy had left with a sad droop to her shoulders.

"So, did you help her?" Olivia asked looking up at him from her slightly smaller height.

Giles shook his head. "I don't know." He answered softly turning to look at the beautiful woman beside him, doing his best to turn his mind from whatever it was that was obviously troubling Buffy.

* * *

Buffy walked through the dark campus surrounded by students walking to and from different buildings of the large campus. Buffy looked around at them in annoyance. "How am I supposed to hunt in this mob?" She asked herself as she paused looked around at the milling students. "Don't you people have homes?" She asked as group walked by her, to deep in their own conversation to hear her. Buffy turned still puzzling over the question of how to hunt and remain undercover girl with all these people out and about wandering the school grounds. Her eyes caught sight of a familiar figure, his back turned towards her. As if sensing her gaze on him he looked over his shoulder and she caught a glimpse of his face. "Eddie?" She mumbled questioningly wondering if she was wrong and Eddie had just decided to leave school.

Buffy ran after him as he walked leading her to a secluded spot. "Eddie! Eddie, hey wait up!" Buffy cried as she finally caught up with him beside a bulletin board. "God I was worried that something had happened to you…" Buffy trailed off as Eddie turned around his face revealing the hard ridges she would know anywhere. "…And of course it has, 'cause you're a vampire. I'm sorry." She apologized.

"I'm not." Eddie said with a hungry smile, glad that he finally caught someone. He lunged at her, Buffy stepped out of his way, letting his own momentum carry him past her, she pulled her stake, and as he charged her again she let him run right into her stake.

Behind her Sunday watched from a concrete dais. "Slayer!" She called making Buffy turn around. "Wow, um, I heard you might be coming here." She said as her minions came out of their hiding spots to surround Buffy. "This is, I mean, what a challenge! The Slayer!"

Buffy looked at Sunday coolly. "And you are?"

"I'm… I'm Sunday. I'll be killing you here in a minute, or so." The blond vampire said confidently.

Buffy cocked her head slightly. "You know, that threat gets more frightening every time I hear it." She quipped.

The blond lanky minion looked between his boss, and the petite blond. "Uuh… are we gonna fight? Or is there just gonna be a monster sarcasm rally?" He asked.

The orange haired female looked Buffy over. "I'm in for a piece."

"Everybody gets to play." Buffy promised glancing around at the minions, quickly deciding that they were the least of her problems.

Sunday cast them a look. "Guys, this is totally mine."

The blond mal minion looked up at her. "Ok," He agreed, not all that sure about going up against The Slayer. "But you gotta share the eatin'. 'Cause I'm thinkin' Slayer's blood's gotta be… woah! Like Thia Stick."

Buffy shot him a look. "I thought people were supposed to get smarter in college." She quipped, turning her gaze back to their leader.

"Yeah, I think you had a lot of misconceptions about college. Like that anyone would be caught dead wearing that." Sunday said giving her clothes a dismissive disgusted once over.

Buffy looked down at her clothes with a frown, wondering what was wrong with them. Something she normally wouldn't do when she was on top of her game. Buffy looked back up in time to be punched by Sunday. She fell to the ground with an 'oof' Sunday jumped off her dais and tried to kick Buffy, but the petite blond blocked having recovered from the blow. Buffy scrambled to her feet and threw to consecutive punches. Sunday ducked the first and blocked the other, before punching Buffy again sending her sprawling to the again.

Buffy moved to get to her feet, only for Sunday to kick her in the face. Buffy threw a punch at the vampiress stomach, but Sunday grabbed her wrist deftly and used her grip to throw her onto the dais. Buffy attempted to hit the vampiress, when she jumped up onto the dais after her, but the blond vampiress grabbed her by the throat restricting her air flow. "Don't take this the wrong way, but," Sunday punched her in the face. "You fight like a girl." She snarled as she threw Buffy off the dais, before somersaulting off herself.

Buffy scrambled to her feet, and managed to kick the blond in the stomach, Sunday dodge her second kick, but landed the next one on Sunday's face pissing the blond vampiress off. Buffy threw a punch, only to have Sunday grab her arm. The vampiress swung her around, before throwing her onto the hood of a nearby pickup truck. Buffy attempted to get up, but Sunday jumped on top of the hood and kicked her in the back, sending the petite blood up onto the roof. Buffy sat up and attempted a left hook, only to have Sunday grab her by the wrist, before jumping up on the roof, forcing Buffy to lie back on it. Sunday brought her knee down harshly onto the captured arm, and a crack rent the air.

Sunday smirked, but before she could do anything else she heard a loud threatening growl and the presence of an old vampire, before the sound of heavy feet landing on the already dinted hood of the pickup truck. Sunday let go of The Slayer and turned around, to see the tall dark form of Angelus staring at her with angry amber eyes. Angelus punched her with a shift harsh movement sending Sunday flying off the hood of the truck and onto the ground. Angelus jumped off the hood to land on the ground in front of the surprised vampiress. "You know attacking another vampire's mate, might be forgivable in a lowly fledge of minion, but in a vampiress that's been around for a few years… it's not something that can be over looked." Angelus growled threatening.

Sunday glanced over at The Slayer surprised as she slide from the roof to the hood of the pickup. Looking up at Angelus again, she scrambled to her feet and fled, anger filling her at being denied the respect that killing The Slayer would have gained her. It would have been the thing she needed to become a Master! And to have that taken away, because some vamp was crazy enough to want her as a Mate… was unforgivable. Seeing their boss flee the three minions looked at each other, before turning tail and running after her, not willing to stay if she wasn't.

Angelus turned back to Buffy as she was about to slide herself off the hood. She looked at his legs for a moment blocking her path off the hood, before she moved to slide off the side. Angelus moved blocking her way, and reluctantly Buffy looked up at him with wary eyes as she clutched her left arm to her chest. Angelus reached out towards her injured arm and Buffy leaned back clutching her arm closer. Angelus paused and sighed. "Come on, let me look at it." Angelus mumbled reaching out again. Buffy not seeing how she could get away without it, reluctantly let him take her arm. She watched him like a hawk as he took her arm in a surprisingly gentle hold. She winced as he gently felt along her arm allowing her to keep it clutched to her chest. Not feeling any breaks, Angelus slowly began stretching the arm out towards him, hearing a little muffled murmur of pain escaping Buffy's tightly shut lips.

Angelus glanced up at her as he continued to tend to her arm. "You know, you should have easily been able to take her. She's only been turned for ten years or so."

Buffy glared at him through a wince. "Thanks so much I feel so much more miserable, are you happy now?" Buffy grumbled.

Angelus looked up at her angrily. "No! I'm annoyed, that you allowed that second rate, college scavenging vampiress to get so close to killing you."

"Well, I'm sorry that I was selfish enough to almost let someone else take the pleasure from you." Buffy cried biting back tears as she tried to take back her arm.

Angelus tightened his grip on her arm, not allowing her to pull it away, as he leaned over her, forcing her to lie back on the hood of the truck his free hand planted on the dinted hood, bracing himself above, so as to not further hurt her already injured arm with his weight.

Buffy looked up at him with wary eyes, her heart beating loudly in her chest. "You're mine Buff. And I protect what's mine." Angelus growled and Buffy's eyes grew wide. "Even if it means protecting you from yourself."

"Don't play with me!" Buffy cried, raising one of legs and planting it firmly in Angelus' chest kicking him off of her and to the ground. She scrambled off the hood, holding her throbbing arm close to her chest as Angelus flipped to his feet. "I don't belong to anybody, but myself! You chauvinistic pig!" Buffy glared at him. "Least of all you!" Buffy cried, before turning and fleeing herself, her mind abuzz with his words. _'You're mine Buff. And I protect what's mine. Even if that means protecting you from yourself.'_

Buffy shook her head as tears formed in her eyes. _'Lies!'_ Buffy thought bitterly, they had to be lies. It was obviously the new angle Angelus had decided to play, and she wasn't going to fall for it!

A little while later Buffy sat in her dorm room, on the side of her bed Kathy snoring obliviously in her bed. Buffy gingerly stretched out her arm, holding it with her other as she did so it keep it steady. She grunted softly in pain and winced, but nothing seemed to be truly broken, it was probably just a crack. Buffy sighed and folded her arm back into her chest like a wounded wing, her mind drifting back to Angelus and what he had said to her. She frowned, what did he hope to gain by telling her that she was his, like she was some kind of possession that he could lay claim to.

'_She wasn't a possession!'_ Buffy thought angrily, before she focused her mind on the more important angle, why would he say it? What did he hope to gain? He'd never cared for her apart from keeping her alive long enough to satisfy his hunger for vengeance and to have her death be by his hands. Maybe that was what he meant, his to kill, his to dispose of how he pleased, and not a moment, before he was ready.

But the protecting part, and even from herself. What in the name of the hellmouth was that supposed to mean? You just didn't go around declaring that you were protecting someone when they wanted you to be miserable for an eternity, right? Buffy sighed tiredly, it was all so confusing. Angelus was confusing. He was stupid-cryptic-undead-evil- confusing-lots of other things she was too tired to think of at this moment guy! Why couldn't he stick to one form of mentally torturing her? Was it really that fun to see her struggle under the weight of whatever new form of torture he cooked up when he got sick of one?

Buffy closed her eyes and the expression she didn't want to read in his dark eyes jumped out her again, peering at her from the depths of his chocolaty gaze. Buffy opened her eyes with a small jerk, she hated seeing that expression. It gave her hope, a hope she couldn't afford. Hope that had to be false! It had to be! Buffy wrapped her uninjured arm about her waist attempt to hug herself with only one arm against the dangerous emotion that threatened to weaken her already thin defences. Why could he have given her back her heart that night in Angel's apartment when he had so coldly spoke to her of her first time? Those words she doubted she'd ever forget, or the feeling she had gotten as her naïve innocent love of Angel, and ignorance about the hurt that a man could press up the woman that loved him sunk home deeply into her skin. Only for her to discover the nightmare was only just beginning.

Buffy squeezed her eyes tightly shut, as she brutally stomped down the hope that was trying to tear down the thin walls that were trying to protect what was left of the scattered broken pieces of her heart. She couldn't afford to let Angelus' soft persuasive words, and charming smiles lead her down a path of destruction that she was sure many women before her had travelled and met a brutal end all of Angelus' design. She had to protect herself! So that she could continue to protect her friends!

* * *

Angelus threw a pewter water pitcher at a wall of his mansion, severely denting it, looking around he grabbed the next closest thing and threw it at the wall to, looking on as it smashed into tiny shards as it made contact with the wall, the sound doing something to mollify him. Turning Angelus began pacing around the room muttering curses to himself as the three, three month old minions watched frightenedly from a doorway sensing them he turned on them. "Unless you want me to chain up and torture to dust I'd stop gawking if I were you." He growled his eyes flashing amber, and his minions ran, heading towards the closest exit, all of them deciding that it was best if they left their Master Angelus alone whilst he vented his anger.

Angelus paced angrily as he marched up and down the room. How could he have been so damned bloody stupid! He was a charmer of women! He knew how to get what he wanted out of them. For him it was as easy as whistling a jaunty tune! But he'd been stupid enough to call Buffy his, in a fit of temper! Angelus scrubbed his hands through his hair. She was hardly ready to hear that favourably, right now she was probably lying in her bed looking up at the ceiling and running through all the reasons she could come up with as to why he'd said, what his motives where, and how they succeeded in making her miserable in the long run when his 'plan' fell into place. "DAMN IT!" Angelus roared at the now empty mansion, before sinking down on the couch. He'd get through this, he'd make Buffy see what she was too him, what she should have always been to him, and it didn't matter how many blunders he made whilst he did it!

Angelus frowned as he thought. Now that he'd told her she was his, he'd have to change his battle plan slightly. Up his offensive to counter and overcome her defensive. It wouldn't be easy especially now that he had raised her guard more than it already was around him. Angelus sighed and forced his body to relax, forcing his tension and anger into a more productive emotion; determination. Angelus rested his head on the back of the couch, and closed his eyes bringing up the vague memory he had of Buffy leaning over him whilst he was delirious with fever and the poison. Her lips moved telling him something. Something he couldn't remember, until she told him to drink. Angelus felt his cock stir as the memory of her powerful rick blood hit him, and he turned his mind away from it.

He couldn't afford to torment himself when he couldn't sate himself within his petite blond, or afford to take another to his bed. And he refused to sink so low as the soul by jacking himself off. He wasn't desperate enough to do that… yet.

* * *

Buffy opened the door to one of the college campus buildings stepping out into the sunshine, her left arm still carefully folded against her body. Her eyes landed on Willow and Oz talking happily with another student. Looking down at her arm for a moment she looked back over at the two as they laughed with the student she didn't recognize. Buffy turned away not wanting to bother them with the troubles of The Slayer. They were enjoying a normal college experience, she wanted that for them. She was pleased that they had it as much as they could have whilst being privy to what went bump in the night.

Buffy walked through the crowd disappearing from her friend's sight range without their notice. So why did she feel so alone? Buffy brushed the feeling aside, she'd felt alone since Angel's death. She could handle alone. She just hadn't felt the aloneness that came with not being a part of them in a long while.

In their lair Sunday and her three minions gathered around Sunday's thrown, as light from outside streamed in through the cracks of a boarded up window. "N-n-n-n-no! The best part was when you ragged on her clothes." The lanky blond haired minion said, doing his part in the cheer up Sunday-a-thon they were having. "She was like, 'No! Not the ensemble!'" All four of them cracked up laughing

"Those jeans? With the little patches.? She has no one to blame, but herself." Sunday snarked feeling much better.

"I heard they're coming back in." The female minion said.

"Not if I kill every single person who wears them."

"Who was that Master vamp that interrupted us anyway? If he hadn't shown up you would have killed that blond bimbo for sure." The female minion asked.

Sunday growled lowly, before tossing her head. "I don't know. But he has to be pretty stupid to want The Slayer as his mate."

"I heard that it's not really a choice, more an instinctually feeling, you know… like… two halves of one whole, or something." The mostly un-talkative dark haired minion who was wearing a black t-shirt with a white skull printed on it."

"You mean soul mates." The female minion piped up.

Sunday growled loudly catching her minion's attention. "Vampires don't have soul's you ding-bat."

The female minion shrugged. "Well, it's something that lets a vamp know when they've…"

"ENOUGH!" Sunday roared, her hand breaking the ends of the arms of her throne. "I don't care why that idiot wants The Slayer as his mate, I don't care to discuss the drive behind the choice!" Sunday paused and calmed herself. "It doesn't matter anyway. That Slayer won't last the night, she's a done deal. Her little vampire protector or no." Sunday leaned forward in her throne. "In fact guys, you're gonna hit the tunnels."

Sunday's minions looked at each other nervously, not sure what to think of the order. That Master vampire had radiated power, of a kind that hadn't felt before, not from anyone. And The Slayer… what if she was just having an off night?

* * *

Buffy entered her family home through the kitchen, still favouring her left arm. Buffy looked around the kitchen. "Mom?" She called when she didn't see her. Buffy wandered through the kitchen and mounted the stairs, hearing sounds of activity up there. Joyce came out of her room, and into the hallway a smile on her face as her eyes landed on her daughter. "Buffy." Joyce exclaimed a little surprised.

"Hi." Buffy greeted.

"Hunny, how are you?" Joyce asked as she moved forward to hug her daughter, Buffy hugged her mother back with just her right arm.

"I'm ok." Buffy replied softly with a small shrug, which caused her to wince.

"How's college?" Joyce asked before noticing her daughters injured arm. "You've been fighting." She stated with a concerned frown, she had hoped that college would put an end to the whole Slayer thing.

"Oh, uh, they started it." Buffy offered feebly, trying to right it off, giving a little movement of her left arm to help put her mother's mind at ease.

"Just as long as you're being careful." Joyce said resignedly, before remembering the state of her daughter's room and grew uneasy. "I-I really didn't think you'd show up for a while." Joyce said as the started further down the hall.

"Oh," Buffy exclaimed. "I didn't have classes today, and everything's just been so hectic I figured it'd be nice to come and crash for…" Buffy trailed off as they reached her room, the door open, revealing that wooden crates had been crammed closely together in the small room.

"Oh," Joyce murmured flustered. "Well, yeah. You know, I-I didn't think you'd be back for a couple of weeks. Uh, but I didn't move anything, it's still your room." Joyce offered as she peered into her daughter's room.

"You filled it with packing crates." Buffy accused glancing from her room to her mother.

"Yeah, but I didn't move anything." Joyce promised.

"If it's still my room, shouldn't I still be able to fit in it?" Buffy looking back at the room filled with packing crates.

"Well, it's just for a couple of weeks while we do inventory at the gallery. I just really didn't think you'd be back so soon." Joyce mumbled as she began moving down the hall again.

Buffy looked back into her old room. "Neither did I." She muttered.

Buffy walked back through the kitchen on her way out, she paused though when the phone rang. Walking over to it Buffy picked it up and brought the phone to her ear. "Hello?" Buffy frowned when she received no answer. "Hello?" She said into the phone again, upon receiving no answer again Buffy hung up. With a last look around her old home Buffy continued across the kitchen and out the kitchen door, pulling it closed behind her.

* * *

Buffy walked into her dorm room grateful to see that Kathy wasn't there. She froze however when her eyes landed on her side of the room. All of her stuff was missing in an eerily familiar way. Shifting her gaze to her stripped bed Buffy took in the small sheet of paper that was laid out on the mattress. Walking over to her bed she picked up the note.

'This is all just too much for me. I have decided to take off. Sorry I didn't have time to say goodbye, but I need to be by myself. Good luck this year. Buffy.' The petite blond frowned as she read the note, the unfamiliar handwriting staring up at her. With a sigh Buffy sat down on her bare mattress the note still clutched in her hand a small worried frown on her face as she stared into space for a long moment.

Getting up Buffy dropped the note careless back on the bed, and walked slowly from her dorm, down the hall and out of the building and into the fresh night air.

* * *

Buffy entered The Bronze as the band on stage played a slow sad song, something that Buffy noted suited her mood just perfectly. Casting a quick glance around, and seeing only unfamiliar faces she headed over to a vacant couch and sank down. Buffy looked around The Bronze, at some of the people slow dancing with their boyfriends, or husbands, to the people sitting around at the provided tables holding drinks in their hands and laughing. Buffy sighed perhaps coming here hadn't been such a good idea after all.

Feeling a familiar tingle at the base of her spine filling her with a sudden warmth Buffy scanned the crowd more closely, her eyes finally landing on the bar, and the familiar figure of Angelus standing at the bar, his back to her. Buffy sighed despondently. _'Of course he'd be here. He has is very own Buffy's feeling crappy detector.'_ Buffy thought, as she stood from the couch and walked over to the bar, taking the free spot to the left of Angelus, resting her back against the bar, looking out at the milling people. "So, is this the part where I run you off, or is this the part where you say something incredibly hurtful, then I run you off?" Buffy quipped as the bar tender handed Angelus his glass of scotch.

Angelus took hold of the glass and looked over at her, and smiled. "No, this is the part where I take a drink, whilst scoping for my meal."

Buffy frowned over at him, as Angelus took a sip, his eyes scanning the occupants of The Bronze, a teasing tilt to his mouth that has Buffy fighting the urge to smile. "In that case I suppose I better get right to the running you off part." Buffy sighed, as Angelus set down his glass. "Once again saving the day."

Angelus looked over at her, half turning to face her, as Buffy turned so that she was facing the bar. "What's bothering you Buff?" Angelus asked.

Buffy looked over at him. "Nothing." She muttered.

"Right. I'd believe that, if you were any kind of accomplished liar. Mouth says no, your face says yes."

Buffy glared over at him for a moment, not appreciating that he had called her bluff. Glancing down at the last swallow of scotch that was in the glass, Buffy swiped out of her hand, taking hold of it and quickly downed it. Setting down the glass she made a face and coughed as the liquid burned down her throat. "Oh God. How can you drink that stuff?" Buffy spluttered whilst Angelus chuckled at her, patting her back.

"You got to get past the first swallow, it gets easier after that." Angelus said still chuckling as Buffy wiped at her mouth. Buffy threw a glare at him and he shrugged, his hand now rubbing her back in slow circles. "Well, that'll teach you for swiping my drink… and I think it proves my point. Something's bothering you." He said as Buffy shrugged off his hand, finally realizing that it was still on her back.

"If something was, and I'm not saying there is… you'd be the last person I'd talk to about it." Buffy said moodily.

Angelus shrugged. "Suit yourself. Although I hear it's not good for you humans to keep your emotions all bottled up inside." Buffy scowled over at him, and Angelus moved away from the bar, walking across The Bronze.

"Hey!" Buffy called after him making him turn to look at her. "You better not be going off to-to… go… fishing!" Buffy said adjusting her accusing question as she realized the stupidness of calling out 'kill someone'.

Angelus smiled at her. "Come with me and you can find out." He told her, as he turned and continued on his way out of The Bronze, Buffy watched him go with hawk eyes, breathing a sigh of relief as he left The Bronze without a companion.

"I saw that." A familiar male voice said in an accusing teasing tone.

Buffy turned to face him with a wide smile. "Xander!" She cried giving him a one armed hug.

"Hey Buff." Xander replied returning the affectionate gesture.

"Oh, when did you get back?" Buffy asked excitedly, glad to see her old friend back in town safe and sound.

"Couple days ago." Xander shrugged, he looked in the direction Angelus had walked off in a frown darkening his face. "I see Angelus is still hanging around."

Buffy followed Xander's gaze checking to see that Angelus hadn't re-entered the club without her notice. Not seeing him Buffy turned back and waved it off, not wanting the tall dark and evil vampire to ruin her reunion with Xander. "You freak of nature. Why didn't you call me?" Buffy asked teasingly.

"Well, I knew you guys were starting the whole college adventure and I didn't want to um, you know… help you move." Xander admitted with an unrepentant grin.

"I missed you." Buffy told him. "How was your trip? Was America nice? I hear its' nice." Buffy asked not giving Xander enough time to answer.

"There's some purple mountains majesty, I'm gonna have to say." Xander quipped.

"What did you do" Buffy prodded. "What'd you see?"

"Well…" Xander hedged, embarrassedly.

"Tell me!" Buffy begged impatiently.

"Grand Canyon!" Xander blurted.

Buffy looked up at him excitedly. "You saw the Grand Canyon!" She exclaimed.

"Well, I saw the movie Grand Canyon, on cable. Really lame." Xander admitted.

"Huh?" Buffy asked the excitement sliding off her face to be replaced by confusion.

"Basically," Xander began with a forced nonchalant shrug. "I got as far as Oxnard, and the engine fell out of my car, and that was literally. So, I ended up washing dishes at 'The Fabulous Ladies Night Club' for about a month and a half while I tried to pay for the repairs." Xander admitted. "No one really bothered me, or even spoke to me until one night when one of the males strippers called in sick," Xander paused for a moment as he saw the quirky smile gracing Buffy's face. "And no power on this earth will make me tell you the rest of that story. Suffice to say I traded my car in for one that wasn't entirely made of rust, came trundling back home to the arms of my loving parents, where everything was exactly as it was; except I sleep in the basement and I have to pay rent." Xander finished, his explanation. "How's college?"

"Male strippers?" Buffy queried, the quirky smile still on her face, as she hoped that she'd be able to wheedle what had happened out of her best guy friend.

"No power on this earth!" Xander repeated firmly.

"Ok," Buffy relented as they began walking over to the couch she had vacated when she had spotted Angelus in The Bronze. "College is good."

"Ok uh, once more with even less feeling." Xander quipped.

"No, really!" Buffy said quickly, a little too quickly. "I-I mean, Willow's in heaven and Oz has this really cool house off campus with the band." Buffy explained as they sat down on the couch.

Xander raised a brow at her. "And you're sitting here alone at The Bronze looking like you just got diagnosed with cancer of the puppy."

Buffy sighed, realizing that her friend wasn't going to let her get away with keeping her problems to herself. "It's just… there was this vampire, and she took me down, and I just… I don't know how to stop her… I mean I can't even stop Angelus…"

"Ok, let's stop there for a moment, little Miss beat-herself-up, Angelus is a whole different kettle of fish. One that you'll take down," Xander said firmly. "When he finally takes that one step too far." Xander assured, and Buffy frowned, but didn't say anything, her heart constricting in her chest. "But as for this new vamp… where's the gang? Avengers assemble! Let's get it going!"

Buffy shook her head adamantly. "No, I don't want to bug them. I mean they're just starting school, and they don't need this."

Xander looked at her confused. "Ok Buff, what's the 'what' here?"

"It's just, what if I can't cut it?" Buffy asked finally voicing the fear that had been bugging her for a while.

"Can't cut what? Slaying?" Xander asked.

"Slaying, everything." Buffy sighed looking down at her knees.

"Buffy, this is all about fear. It's understandable, but you can't let it control you. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate lead to anger… no, wait, hold on." Xander muttered realizing he had gotten the quote wrong. "Fear leads to hate. Hate leads to the dark side… hold on, no, umm. First you get the women, then you get the money, then you…" Xander took notice on the look on his blond friends face and gave up. "Ok, can we forget that?"

"Thanks for the Dadaist pep talk, I feel much more abstract now." Buffy quipped.

"The point is, you're Buffy." Xander said pointedly.

"Yeah," Buffy muttered. "Maybe in high school I was Buffy."

"And now in college you're Betty Louise?" Xander asked, with raised brows.

"Yeah." Buffy agreed. "I'm Betty Louise Plotnick of East Cupcake, Illinois. Or I might as well be." She muttered.

Xander got up from the couch and crouched down in front of Buffy, looking up at her with serious eyes. "Buffy, I've gone through some fairly dark times in my life, faced some scary things," He smiled. "Among them in the kitchen at 'The Fabulous Ladies Night Club.'" Buffy's lips curved up in a small respiratory smile. "Let me tell you something, when it's dark and I'm all alone and I'm scared, or freaked out or whatever, I always think. What would Buffy do? You're my hero. Ok, sometimes when it's dark and I'm all alone I think, what is Buffy wearing?" Xander admitted.

"Can that be one of those things you never, ever tell me about?" Buffy asked sincerely.

"It's a deal." Xander agreed standing. "Let's put this bitch in the ground! What do you say?"

Buffy hesitated a second, before holding out her right hand, and Xander took it helping her up off the couch. "I think I say thank you."

"And nothing says thank you like dollars in the waistband." Buffy gave him a weird look. "Ok, what do we do first?" Xander asked.

* * *

Buffy sat at a computer in an office on the college campus, having broken the glass in the door to open the locked door. Xander stood behind her examining newspapers he had pulled from one of the filing cabinets that took up most of the space in the room. "Kids disappearing every year, not too many, just enough so that everyone things that they up and left." Buffy said as she looked at the computer screen.

"I can' believe the vampires took your stuff. Murder I expect, but petty larceny seems to… petty." Xander muttered as he shifted through the newspapers.

"They have to be keeping it somewhere, on campus, or at least nearby." Buffy murmured.

"Hey, how far back do the disappearances go?" Xander asked as he examined a newspaper article.

Buffy used her right hand to type on the keyboard, when she was finished she looked up at the screen. "Uhh…" Buffy murmured as she read through what had come up looking for a date. "They weren't too common before '82." Buffy supplied.

"Match number!" Xander crowed. "Check this out." He said as he carried two newspapers over to where Buffy sat, as she turned in her chair to look at him, as he dropped the two newspapers on the counter the computer was placed on. Buffy leaned over to read the headlines. "Psi Theta loses its charter. Building to be close for renovation." She read.

"1982." Xander said indicating the date on the newspaper, he looked over at the other, and began reading what had caught his attention. "Former Psi Theta fraternity house lies dormant while zoning issues drag on before the City Council. We have a winner."

Buffy looked at the picture on the newspaper. "Looks pretty cherry." She commented dryly.

"You up for a little reconnaissance?" Xander asked.

Buffy looked up at him confused. "You mean where we all sculpt and paint and stuff?"

Xander shook his head. "No, that was the renaissance."

"Oh. I've had a really long week." Buffy muttered in explanation. "Let's go look at the house."

* * *

Buffy climbed up a ladder and onto the roof of the old fraternity building, she picked her way through the fallen debris and made her way over to the closest skylight, lowering herself onto it she brushed some of the debris out of the way so that she could peer inside. Her eyes landed on the vamps she had fought and lost to, she scowled as she saw them going through her things. "Score!" Buffy murmured as Xander came up beside having finally managed to get up on the roof. Buffy's eyes narrowed as Sunday picked up one of her skirts and held it in front of her hips, swaying them mockingly. "Look how tough I am." Buffy heard Sunday's mocking voice as it drifted up to her.

"Oh! That's my skirt!" She grumbled. "You're never going to fit in it with those hips!" Buffy glanced over at Xander. "We have to kill them!"

"We need weapons." Xander commented peering through the skylight over Buffy's shoulder.

Buffy turned her gaze back to the vampires bellow. "I don't see my weapons trunk down there. It was right by my bed." Buffy's eyes widened as one of the vampires picked up her childhood toy pig. "Mr. Gordo?" She whimpered. "Go to my room." Buffy said steely. "If it's not there try Willow's. I'll keep an eye… my diary?" Buffy growled as the lanky blond haired minion picked it up and flicked it oped inquiringly.

"Uh-oh, score!" He cried waving the book in the air.

"I'll hurry!" Xander promised, knowing the trouble that could occur over the sanctity of a woman's diary. Xander turned and began picking his way back across the roof towards the ladder he they had used to climb up on.

"Laugh all you want," Buffy muttered venomously down at the four vampires in the room. "This time we play it my way. And the rules are just going to be a little bit…" Buffy broke off as she heard a crack, just before the old skylight gave way under her weight, and she fell into the room. Buffy hit the floor and looked up at the vampires that had all stopped what they were doing to look at her. "Ahh. Ah. Oh." She muttered, not the entrance she was planning on making.

Sunday dropped her skirt and turned to her. "Say, don't I know you from… beating the crap out of you?" She taunted.

Buffy stood to her feet, brushing the dirt off her clothes. "I just thought I'd drop in. Get it? Drop in?" The vampires remained stony faced. "Boy, tough room." Buffy quipped.

"I must say, you've really got me now." Sunday mocked. "I mean, it's a diabolical plan, throw yourself at my feet with a broken arm and no weapons of any kind. How'm I going to get out of this one?"

Buffy glanced around the room. "You got a nice set up here," She brought her eyes back to Sunday. "But you made one mistake."

Sunday took a step towards her. "Yeah? What was that?" She asked.

Buffy frowned, not having really thought that far. "Well, I'm not actually positive, but statistically speaking people usually make at least…" Sunday bored with the conversation punched Buffy in the face cutting off the petite blond.

* * *

Willow and Oz stood in front of Kathy in her dorm room, the dark haired girl having called them when she came home to find Buffy's stuff gone and the note. "It seems kind of weird." She finished her explanation as she handed Oz the note Buffy had left.

"Yeah," Oz muttered. "Weird a pretty good word for it."

"Buffy wouldn't just take off, th-that's just not her nature." Willow said frantically. "Except for that one time she disappeared for several months and changed her name, but there were circumstances then. There's no circumstances." Willow told them as she attempted to make herself believe what she was saying.

"Does Buffy have a history of emotional problems?" Kathy asked them a little callously, as curiosity plagued her at the red heads words. "'Cause on my request form I was pretty specific about a stable non-smoker."

"I don't think this is her handwriting." Oz commented.

"I bet there were circumstances!" Willow cried, not hearing Oz in her own panic. "We've probably been so wrapped up in our own petty lives that… that we totally missed the circumstances. We're bad friends!"

"Let's think this through." Oz said trying to calm his red head down.

Willow shot him a look. "How can you be so calm?" She accused, as she silently wonder how they were going to track their petite blond friend down, when they'd had no luck finding her last time.

"Long, arduous hours of practice. Now either Buffy took off, or she was robbed, or…" Oz was cut off as Xander came to stand in the doorway.

"It's a prank!" He cried, and everyone in the room turned to look at him.

"Xander!" Willow cried monetarily forgetting about Buffy in her exultation at seeing her best friend since kindergarten.

Xander walked into the room with wide spread arms. "How are my guys?" He asked as he hugged Willow warmly, before moving on to Kathy, who stood shocked. "I don't know you, do I?" Xander said as he continued to hug the unfamiliar black haired girl.

"No." Kathy agreed.

"This is very intrusive, isn't it?" Xander asked as he still stood unmoving.

"Little bit." Kathy agreed again, and Xander let her go.

"Xander." Xander introduced himself.

"Kathy." She replied with a smile.

Xander looked over at Oz. "Do we hug?" He asked the musician.

"I think we're too manly." Oz replied in his usual monotone.

"What's the prank?" Willow asked her mind going back to Buffy, now that the happy buzz of seeing Xander had died down in her brain.

"Prank?" Xander questioned before remembering. "Oh, the room." He explained. "Well, some friends of Buffy's played a funny joke, and they took her stuff. And now she wants us to help her get it back," Xander took in the confused look Willow was giving him as she tried to think of who these friends were, Buffy hadn't mentioned any new friends, expect for the one that had left school. "From her friends who sleep all day and have no tans." Xander added.

"Oh!" Willow exclaimed in understanding. "Those friends!"

"Funny guys." Oz murmured as Kathy looked at them.

Xander looked over at Buffy's bare bed, where she said her weapons chest was. "They took the chest." He observed, before turning his eyes to his friends. "Well, let's go! Let's go to our friend. It's nice meeting you Kathy." He told the girl he had hugged unnecessarily, as he turned and walked out of the room followed by Willow and Oz.

"You too!" Kathy called as Oz shut the door behind them.

Xander turned to them once they were out in the hall. "Let's go to Will's, get supplies."

"Is Buffy in danger?" Willow asked as they started down the hall.

"She's in a holding position." Xander assured her. "We've got some time."

* * *

Buffy fell to the floor as she took another hit. Buffy spotted her trunk, and started to crawl along the floor to get to it. Sunday stepped in front of her, cutting off her path to her weapons, she twirled Buffy's class protector award in her hand. "Oh, and this. This is my favourite item."

"You don't want to touch that." Buffy warned her. Sunday smiled at her cruelly and dropped it to the floor, before stomping down on the handle, the wood braking under her strength. Deftly she moved towards Buffy who was looking at her broken Class Protector award, anger building inside her. Sunday leaned down and grabbed Buffy's left arm. "You know this arm's not looking so good. It might have to come off."

Buffy turned her gaze to Sunday. "You want to know the truth? I only need one." She growled, fisting her right hand she punched Sunday with it, sending the vampiress wheeling away. Buffy rolled to her feet, and marched over to Sunday and kicked her harshly in the face. The force flipped the vampiress over the couch and onto a coffee table breaking it. Sunday clambered to her knees as Buffy advanced towards her. The Slayer kicked the vampiress again, catching some broken wood with her foot, slamming it into Sundays face, knocking her back into the broken clutter.

"This is startin' to suck." The lanky blond haired minion observed as he along with the other two minions watched.

Sunday got to her feet, her face hard with the ridges of the demon. Sunday's female minion ran to help. Buffy sensing her coming grabbed a tennis racket, and stepped up onto the arm of a chair, roundhouse kicking Sunday in the face, she swung her right arm out behind her, and the minion collided with the racket, sending her flying over the couch, breaking the frame of the racket leaving a broken piece of wood in Buffy's hand, perfect for a makeshift stake. Sunday advanced on Buffy, just as the minion wearing the black skull T-shirt turned and ran for the door, deciding that things were definitely going downhill from here. He is stopped in his escape attempt however as the door burst open as Xander marched in with Oz close behind him carrying a cross which he held up in the minions face forcing him back.

Willow came in behind them still trying to load the crossbow she was wielding. The lanky blond haired minion noticed her struggle and smiled thinking she'd be an easy meal he began advancing towards her. Willow brought up the crossbow just in time, and fired it into the minion's heart.

He looked down at the wood sticking out of his chest, before looking back up at Willow. "Woah!" He said, before turning to dust.

Buffy stood as Sunday lay on the floor, having been knocked down again. "When you look back on this, in the three seconds it'll take you to turn to dust," Buffy told her, as the female minion looked around, feeling decidedly out number she turned and head for another door quickly running out of the room. "I think you'll find the mistake was touching my stuff."

Sunday flipped to her feet and rushed at Buffy, who swung her unwounded arm at her. Sunday blocked it with a small growl. "What about breaking you arm," She taunted, grabbing hold of Buffy's left arm and squeezing. "How'd that feel?"

Buffy whose arms where otherwise engaged, glared at her. "Let me answer that question with a head butt." She said, before slamming her forehead into Sunday's forcing the vampiress to let go and stumble back.

Xander faced off with a recently turned minion, Oz who stood behind the unknown vampire hits him on the head with the cross before ducking down, so that he was on all fours. The minion turned to see who struck him, and Xander pushed him, making him fall to the ground as he stumbled over Oz. Oz straighten up as Xander rushed forward hurriedly staking the vamp before he could get back up.

"And for the record," Buffy growled, making a fist with her left hand. "The arms is hurt," She threw a powerful uppercut at Sunday sending her flying back. "Not broken." The minion with the black t-shirt with a white skull on it, looked around, before he too made his escape, whilst the others were all distracted with watched the petite Slayer.

Oz, Xander and Willow came up behind the petite blond. "Hey, Buff. Need a hand?" Oz asked as he looked from her to Sunday as she got to her feet.

Buffy turned to them as she twirled her stake with a smile. "No thanks," Buffy twisted around throwing the stake at Sunday, the tip embedding itself into the vampiress' heart. "I'm good." Sunday shook her head in annoyance as she looked down at the stake protruding from her chest, looking up at Buffy she stomped her foot, before she turned to dust.

Buffy looked over at her Class Protector award, and walk over to it, picking it up, glad that the plaque hadn't been broken off when Sunday stomped on it.

* * *

A little while later the gang left the old fraternity building carrying Buffy's stuff in boxes. Xander carried her trunk, walking a little behind the rest. "So, all that other stuff in there? That's just gonna sit there, right? Uh I mean, no one owns it in the strictest sense." Xander asked.

"It seems wrong, somehow." Oz murmured.

"Dibs on the rowing machine." Xander called out, not wanting some else to claim it first.

Giles ran up to them. "Buffy!" He called gaining their attention making them pause as they waited for him as Giles ran the rest of the way over to them, carrying a crossbow in one hand, a cross and battle axe in the other.

"Hi Giles." Willow greeted as she walked past him, and Giles fell into step beside her.

"What's with the arsenal?" Xander asked, nodding to the former Watcher's hands with his head.

"I've been awake all night. I know I'm supposed to teach you self-reliance," Giles said talking to Buffy as he stood in front of her. "But I can't leave you out there to fight alone. To hell with what's right, I'm ready to back you up. Let's fight the evil a-and fight it together." Giles said feelingly.

"Great! Thanks!" Buffy said not having the heart to tell him just yet that, they'd already taken care of the threat she had talked to him about. "We'll get right on that." She promised, before stepping around him and continuing on, her example followed by the others.

"The evil is this way?" Giles asked confused as he began walking with them.

"My room is." Buffy corrected without looking back.

"Hey Giles," Willow said awkwardly. "Could you get this box on top?" Giles nodded moving over to her he placed his weapons in the box, before taking it from her. Willow smiled gratefully.

"So, college not so scary after all, huh?" Xander called up to Buffy.

Buffy smiled. "It's turning out to be a lot like high school, which I can handle. At least… I know what to expect." Buffy paused in her stride, making the others stop, she looked to her left, and sighed, before turning back and walking the couple of steps to Giles. "Here take this, I have something I have to do. I'll catch you up." Buffy promised as she headed over towards the trees she could sense Angelus watching them from.

Giles and the others watched her go until she disappeared into the tree line. "Come on," Oz said breaking the concerned silence that had fallen upon them. "Buffy's room is this way." He finished as he began walking again, the others reluctantly following his lead, as they turned their eyes away from the tree line where Buffy had walked from their sights.

* * *

Buffy didn't have to go far until she spotted him, standing beside a tree, his eyes on her, having evidently decided to wait for her, instead of disappearing like he normally did.

"Fixed up your problems, I see." Angelus murmured as he walked towards her.

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. "You were watching… what happened to… fishing?"

Angelus shrugged. "Didn't see anything that interested me… and only towards the end." He stated, not touching anywhere near the real reason he had left The Bronze without prey.

Buffy looked up at him with wary eyes. "What are you doing Angelus? What are you playing at?"

Angelus looked at her searchingly as he took the last step, and gently placed his hands on her arms. Buffy glanced down at them with a small frown before looking back up at him, tilting her head back slightly to do so. "I'm trying to prove to you that I'm no longer your enemy," Angelus half smiled at her. "And that I'm not going to hurt you anymore."

Buffy took a step back from him shaking her head, forcing his hands to release their gentle grip on her arms. "No, you are my enemy." Buffy looked away from him for a moment, as she felt tears threaten to well in her eyes, but she forced them back, before returning her gaze to his. "You proved that, everyday, from the moment I met you in Angel's apartment." Buffy said a little shakily, but her voice full of a raw pain. She backed away from him then, before turning and walking away from, and the expression in his eyes, the soft half smile, and the soft touches. Somehow, Buffy silently observed, this kind of torture hurt worse than all the rest.

Angelus watched her go, not making a move to after. It would be pointless, and do nothing more than agitate her. He'd planted the seed, now he had to let it settle. Angelus turned when he could no longer see her, and began making his way back to his mansion.

* * *

In another part of the campus the vampire wearing the black t-shirt with the white skull painted on it ran. He looked behind him making sure that The Slayer wasn't following him. He paused at a tree as he encountered a clear spot in his path, looking around quickly, he made to dash across it. Hearing a noise he looked behind him as he ran, only for two darts from a tazer hit him right in the chest. The vamp convulsed and fell to the ground helplessly, the amount of electricity rocking through his body enough to immobilize him for a good long while. He looked up as three figures broke from their cover, wearing camouflaged clothing advanced towards him, one carried a coil of rope, the other two carried guns which where pointed at the immobilized vamp, just in case he managed to move, before they could get him tied.

**A/N:** Well that was the first chapter of my season 4 rewrite, I hoped you liked it, and that Angelus didn't seem to be a big pussy cat. I personally don't think I've written him as such, but let me know what you think, and I can do my best to make him more Angelus-y.

Anyway please feed the musie so that she continues to feed me :D


	2. Chapter 2 living conditions

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or any of the characters mentioned in the cannon.

**A/N:** Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter I was blown away by the rapid responses. I'm sorry this chapter took a little longer to get out, but as I said last chapter my nieces came down for the weekend, so I didn't get much chance to work on it. So hopefully the posting of next chapter won't take so long.

Ok I won't hold you up any longer…

Oh and lots of Smutty goodness in this chapter :D Musie just went a little wild with it… she missed it so much lol

**CHAPTER 2**

**Living Conditions**

Buffy sat on her bed whilst Kathy stood at her ironing board, her iron in hand as she ran the hot metal of the iron over her jeans, humming softly to Cher as her song believe played through her portable stereo. Buffy looked down at the jewel CD case, that she had clasped in her hand reading the contents on the back of the case. She fought to keep her grip light so that she didn't break the case. "Wow, this music is so… so…" Buffy searched her mind for a word that was insulting, although one was sitting just at the tip of her tongue just begging to slip out past her guard.

Kathy looked up from her jeans. "I know." She gushed perkily. "This song is super fun. Isn't it?"

Buffy looked up from the CD case. "You bet." She said trying to sound as happy to be listing to the same damned song over and over. Buffy placed the case on the nightstand that separated their beds, as she felt her frustration with the song grow, not wanting to draw suspicion on herself by breaking the fragile case. "It get's fun-er, and fun-er every time you play it." Buffy said a small amount of sarcasm slipping past her guard as she stood.

Kathy smiled her agreement as Buffy made her way over to her wardrobe, before looking back down at her ironing. She looked up again however when she heard Buffy's wardrobe close to see the petite blond pulling on a jacket. "Going out?" She asked dubiously.

Buffy glanced over at her. "Yeah. I'm seriously caffeine deprived." Buffy said shrugging her jacket into place, before starting on the large buttons. "Figure I'd head down to The Grotto and get a jolt and, you know, do some studying." Buffy lied, hoping that Kathy who didn't really know her, would catch her out, but then she had gotten so used to lying about slaying, that she had to have it done like an art form by now.

"Oh. It's late…" Kathy looked over at the clock. "Won't you be up all night?"

Buffy paused, before turning and picking up her backpack. "Oh, yeah, but it's cool." Buffy turned to face Kathy again as she swung a strap over her shoulder, the weapons in it shifting slightly. "I'm sort of an up kind of night person. I mentioned that right?"

Kathy frowned slightly. "I guess, I just didn't realize you'd be coming and going at all hours. Well. Not that I mind. I'm just surprised." Kathy assured her.

"I'll be quiet as a mouse, I promise. Ok." Buffy assured her roomie, before heading towards the door.

"Oh!" Kathy cried stopping Buffy short. The petite blond grimaced in annoyance, but turned fixing her face into a polite mask. "Say, Buffy. I wanted to show you this little system I implemented." She walked over to the nightstand separating their beds and picked up a small, but thick pink covered note pad with a pin feathered pen stuck in the spiral binding, turning to show them to Buffy.

"Oh, goody… system." Buffy muttered.

Kathy smiled perkily, making Buffy want to say something to make it slide right off her face, a thousand things ran through her head, all that she was sure would succeed in wiping that smile right off her roommates face, she'd had lots of inspiration after all mostly if not entirely inspired by Angelus, but with a small effort Buffy resisted and forced a smile on her face instead.

"Just log every call you make in here, and that way when the bill comes it won't be a problem. I figure, stitch in time…"

"…Catches the worm?" Buffy quipped, deliberately getting the saying wrong, a small sense of satisfaction slithering through her when the perky smile on Kathy's face faded. Kathy collected herself, and made a cheery 'you got it' gesture with her hands. "You bet." Buffy forced herself to agree as pleasantly as she could, silently wondering why Kathy's perky-ness was suddenly getting to her so much… she'd been living with her for a couple of weeks now… "Ok, then." Buffy said turning and starting once again for the door.

"Also," Kathy called making Buffy stop again. Buffy closed her eyes in an attempt to keep herself calm, opening her eyes, Buffy turned back to Kathy, her movement showing a little of the mass irritation she felt. "I noticed that some of my milk was missing. Did you…"

"Oh!" Buffy exclaimed cutting Kathy off. "Yeah, actually I did. I meant to…"

Kathy cut the suddenly contrite Buffy off. "No! It's totally ok, I was just wondering."

"Yeah, I-I-I was making my coffee and I just…" Buffy began.

"Buffy, it's fine. I just wanted to make sure…" Kathy trailed off as the song ended. She made a helpless gesture at Buffy who watched with irritation as Kathy once again pressed play, before coming back over. "…That we didn't have a thief, or something."

Buffy raised her eyebrows. "Like who? Sid the Wiley Dairy Gnome?" She quipped.

Kathy shrugged. "I don't know, it's no big deal. Please feel free."

"Ok, I'm really sorry." Buffy apologized in an attempt to get out the door faster. "I have to…" Buffy trailed off and headed for the door once again.

"Have a good time." Kathy called pleasantly, as Buffy opened the door.

Buffy looked back her. "Yeah, you too… with ironing." Buffy walked out the door, closing it solidly behind her, before her roommate could call her back, for any other ridiculous reasons. With a shake of her head, Buffy headed down the hallway making her way to the spot she had agreed to meet Willow. Buffy scowled, thanks to Kathy she was running late!

* * *

Buffy and Willow walked along a wooded path together. "So you had trouble getting past Kathy?" Willow asked.

"Yep." Buffy confirmed. "She made big with the questions."

Willow smiled. "And you thought your days of sneaking out of your room were over."

Buffy shook her head. "No such luck. Kathy's nice and all, but she's… she's sort of…" Buffy repeated struggling to find the appropriate words to describe her roomie. "I don't know, like mini-mom of Momdonia." Willow chuckled, and Buffy glanced around the darkness. "Wait." Buffy stopped on the path to get a better look fully alert. "Did you just hear something?"

Willow shrugged. "I'm chewing my gum kinda loud."

Buffy shook her head. "That's not it."

"My sneakers are squeaky." The red head offered.

Buffy glanced over at Willow. "I'm looking for something lurky here, Will." The petite blond explained.

"Oh." Willow muttered, falling silent for a moment to listen to the darkness, but only the sound of the natural wildlife reached her ears. "Sorry, no."

Buffy sighed and started walking again, Willow keeping step with her. "Darn, I could use a little play tonight." Willow glanced over at her blond friend, she'd never heard Buffy talk about slaying like that before. "Listening to the best of VH-1 all day sort of put me on edge."

"Oh, Kathy's still spinnin' the divas?"

"Cause it's the fun-est!" Buffy said in a perky voice mocking Kathy. "Well, no big." Buffy said with a shrug already feeling better after having a major venom spewing with Willow. "College is a time of change, right? I bet, before too long, she'll be trip-hoppin' all over the place."

"Yeah!" Willow agreed encouragingly. "I mean, this whole dorm this is just an adjustment we need to make. You know? I mean, my roomie is kind of challenging too." Willow said with a shrug, a frown darkening her face as her thoughts were momentarily darkened by reminders of her roommate.

"And what are we if not women up to a challenge?" Buffy asked of her best friend.

"Exactly!" Willow exclaimed the conversation helping her to feel motivated. "I mean, did we not put the 'grr' in girl?" Willow turned her eyes to the path, noticing the branching paths up head of them. "Well, here's where I get off." Willow said pointing towards the paths as they came to a stop in front of them.

"Say hey to Oz for me." Buffy told the red head.

Willow smiled. "Happy hunting." She said as she started for the path that would lead her to Oz, and his place not too far off campus.

"Wish me monsters." Buffy called after her. Willow turned back to her making an 'ick' face at her, before turning back to the path and walking away. Buffy walked on down her own path, not noticing the orange skinned demon with a cloak on the hood pulled up over his head, his green glowing eyes watching her in darkness.

Buffy continued along the path, keeping her eyes and ears open for anything demonic that she could pummel. She spotted when she heard a noise behind her. "Will?" Buffy asked turning to face the way she had come. When she heard no answer, which the red head surely would to prevent a preventable accident from occurring, Buffy narrowed her eyes and raised her arms, her hands curling into fists. "Alright, why don't you quit hiding and come out and face me like a… thing." She called, just as Kathy came running up to her. Buffy lowered her fists surprised, hoping that she hadn't been caught out. "Hey, I caught you." Kathy said cheerily as she came up beside Buffy.

"Is everything ok?" Buffy asked measuredly.

"Oh, everything's super." Kathy assured her with her wide perky smile. "I just decided a decaf latte sounded like heaven after all."

"So, you're coming along?" Buffy asked dubiously, not wanting to believe it.

Kathy shrugged. "Why not? This way you won't have to walk these spooky paths alone." She beamed, as she skipped ahead of Buffy.

"Great!" Buffy called after her trying to sound happy about the company. "That's just great." She muttered to herself as she followed after her roommate.

"This is neat, isn't it?" Kathy asked perkily as she practically skipped beside Buffy down the path. "The fresh air, the trees, the smell of…" Buffy heard a rumbling growl from behind them, and with a swift movement she pushed Kathy out of the way, into the bushes beside the path, and onto the dirt. Buffy turned to see a bulky orange skinned demon running towards her swinging a club. Buffy grabbed his arm, and twisted the club from his grip sending it to the ground, whilst knocking the demon off balance and to the ground.

The demon jumped up and threw to consecutive punches at Buffy. The petite blond blocked both blow before following threw with three quick jabs to its face. In the bushes Kathy laboriously clambered to her knees still slightly dazed by the sudden shove she'd received. The demon attempted a roundhouse punch, but Buffy ducked under his arm, and swept out her leg knocking the demons feet out from under him. With a defeated growl he rolled over to his club, picking it up the demon rolled to his feet, before running off. Buffy watched him a second contemplating going after him, when she heard Kathy groan as she stood up. With an annoyed sigh Buffy walked over to her roommate helped her out of the bushes and back onto the path.

What the blizzard was that all about?" Kathy asked. Her perky voice suffering in her annoyance.

"Uh, he um…" Buffy hedged trying to think of an excuse before remembering the backpack that was still slung over her shoulders. "Tried to take my backpack."

"What were you thinking, taking him on like that?" Kathy scolded.

Buffy fought the urge to scowl darkly at the dark haired girl. "Oh I, heh, I don't know. I guess I-I panicked."

"I mean, it's just you could of gotten hurt, or something." Kathy looked down at her clothes. "And look at my sweater, it's ruined!"

'_Thank you Buffy for saving my life.'_ Buffy thought irritatedly. "Yeah, sorry about that." _'Next time I'll just let the big bad demon get you.'_ Buffy gave herself a mental shake silently wondering where that thought came from. Kathy was annoying, but that didn't deserve a death warrant, right? "Here, w-we'll go get you cleaned up." Kathy nodded, and the two turned and headed back down the path towards their dorm room.

* * *

In the bushes a orange skinned demon watched them from the bushes, the orange skinned demon that had run away from the fight with The Slayer came up beside him. "She may be the one." The demon that had been waiting in the bushes said in their guttural language.

"We have to be sure. Follow her." The second demon replied.

"As you wish." His companion replied, as Buffy and Kathy walked out of sight as they rounded the corner.

* * *

Buffy moaned and the bed creaked underneath her, as she looked up at the high ceiling of Angelus' room. Cool skin glided softly against hers, awakening the nerves, her nipples pebbled and she looked at her the man above her. She smiled up at her dark lover, loving the feel of his cool skin sliding against her own heated skin. His beloved face looming over hers, and his lips twitched up in the sexy half smile that never failed to make her knees weak. Buffy lifted her head up off her pillow and captured his lower lip in between hers sucking on it gently, before nibbling it with her teeth. Above her Angelus growled thickly, and tugged his lip from her teeth's ministrations, before claiming her lips in a heated kiss, his tongue running enticingly over the seam of her lips, expectantly Buffy opened her mouth for him, and was not disappointed as his tongue slipped past her lips and began exploring her mouth with a heated passion that left her breathless, and aching with need.

She slide her hands up his chest her fingers playing the small peaks of his brown nipples teasingly, before moving up to twine her arms around his neck, arching into him when his own cool fingers found her peddled nipples teasing them with his fingers pulling and twisting them, as he began trailing kisses and nips down her chin, and neck, working his way to the rounded curves of her breasts. Buffy urged his closer, her arms tightening around him, her foot running up his calf as his mouth moved down finally paying attention to her diamond hard nipples. She gasped as his tongue flicked over her right nipple, sending a sharp bolt of desire through her, before he scrapped it with his blunt human teeth.

Buffy's head lolled to the side, her neck exposed as he took her whole breast into his mouth, suckling the mound. Buffy's hand ran down his back her nail's scrapping drawing blood when he nipped harshly at her breast before laving the stinging skin with his cool tongue, making Buffy sigh and relax under him again. Her fingers traced blindly around his tattoo, as he switched breasts devoting his attention to the neglected mound. His hands ran down her sides and over her hips to slip under her to squeezed her ass for a moment, before one of his hands slipped around her body to tease her trembling clit. She keened lowly as the pressure of his fingers played with the sensitive bundle of nerves. She slipped one of her hands down his body, to grasp his hard pulsing shaft in her hand. She stroked the tip gently, earning a shudder from the experienced demon above her.

Buffy nibbled her bottom lip as she inexperienced-ly stroked the silk covered steel, learning the feel of him in her hand, how big he was as she cupped him. Above her Angelus growled and she opened her eyes to look up, and found that his face was hovering over hers again. Buffy smiled up at him again, a shy quality to it, that made Angelus dip down and capture her lips again, before he reached down covering her small hand with his own, before pulling back to look her in the eyes as he guided himself to her entrance…

Buffy opened her eyes with a small jerk her body quivering with unsatisfied desire, she could feel her juices sliding down her thighs even through her panties. Her hazel eyes darkened from lust focused on the ceiling of her room as she realized that she most definitely wasn't in Angelus' bed his body pressing into hers his hard thick cock about to… Buffy scrunched up her face in an upset way, and she turned over onto her side facing away from Kathy, just as the girl snorted in her sleep. Buffy pulled the pillow out from under her and placed it over her head, her arm holding it in place. Her body missed the feel of his weight on top of her, even though logically she knew that he had never even been there. Buffy squeezed her eyes shut and breathed out a long calming breathing, before sucking a deep breath in. "Darn it!" Buffy muttered moodily as she clenched her thighs together. Dreams like that were not helping her resolve, but couldn't she have waited to wake up until after the dream had finished?

* * *

Buffy sat by a table in the courtyard outside Giles apartment, his male in her hands and an unopened magazine on the table by her elbow. "Boring…" Buffy sighed as she dropped one of the letters on the table, as she turned her eyes to the next. "Boring… bill… bill…" She looked up as she heard quick steps on the stairs that led into the courtyard, her eyes focusing on Giles as he ran into view wearing a tracksuit. "Hello." Giles greeted whilst panting from his morning exertion.

"You run?" Buffy asked surprised.

"And jump, and bend, and occasionally, frolic." Giles quipped still panting.

"Ok and uh," Buffy picked up one of the magazines she had set on the table, and held it up for him to see. "What's with the motorbike and scooter magazine?"

"Congratulations, you've found me out. I'm a mod jogger." Giles said dryly.

"Ok, you're not having one of those mid-life things, are you?" Buffy asked concerned. "'Cause I'm still going 'ick' from the last time you tried to recapture your youth."

"Buffy!" Giles said sternly.

"Sorry." Buffy muttered a little sheepishly. "Demon. Last night. Made with the pummelling, but he got away." Buffy explained.

"What sort of demon?" Giles asked as he walked over to the fountain and sat on its outer ledge.

"Umm, had a cloak on, and glowing green eyes, and skin had a like, super fake rub-on tan." Buffy described.

"Translate?" Giles requested.

"Orange-y." Buffy supplied with a small shrug.

"Thank you. Anything else?" Giles asked.

"My roommate Kathy was there, but she didn't see anything." Buffy told him.

Giles looked at her sharply. "You took your roommate patrolling with you?"

Buffy gave him a look. "Well, I invited my whole dorm, but she was the only one that could make it." Buffy quipped sarcastically, seeing the serious look on Giles face she sighed realizing that he didn't get the sarcasm. "I told her I was going for coffee and she decided to tag along."

"Right. Well we should discourage her from that habit." Giles shifted his glasses on his nose. "From what you've described I-I'm not familiar with the creature, but I-I'll look into it and give a ring when I've found something." Giles got up, considering the conversation over, and made to move towards his apartment.

"You know, it's nice out here." Buffy commented, stalling for time.

Giles turned back pleasantly surprised. "Yes, I take my tea out here sometimes." He agreed, before turning to walk into his apartment.

"What are you doing today?" Buffy asked, making Giles turn towards her once again.

"Uh, it's a good day for me actually." He informed her, a smile on his face as he thought about it. "A friend of mine recently acquired a-uh an original Gutenberg Demonography…" Giles looked at Buffy strangely. "And it suddenly occurred to me that you've never once asked me what my day's plans were, which leads me to inquire whether you're feeling entirely yourself."

"That's not true. I ask about you all the time." Buffy said denyingly, but it whither under the look Giles fixed on her. "Ok well, maybe the words don't actually make it out of my mouth, but I think about it."

"And it's appreciated. But it still doesn't explain why you're hanging around here instead of rushing off as usual." Giles murmured.

"It's no big." Buffy assured him with a forced nonchalant shrug that she couldn't quiet feel. "I just figured I'd hang here, you know, until my roommate goes to class."

"Ah, I see." Giles said knowingly as he sat back down on the fountain.

"I know, it's probably just me having a bitch attack. But it's not… me." Buffy muttered with a slightly confused frown wondering if that had made sense.

"Buffy, living with somebody is never easy. Especially for an only child…"

Buffy cut her father-figure off. "Giles, listen to me, ok? When she sharpens her pencils she measures them with a ruler to make sure they're all the same size."

Giles blinked surprise, but remained decidedly unfazed. "Which is fussy, I agree, but everybody has their idiosyncrasies. You'd do well to learn to tolerate them."

"Or I'll end up an old lady who can only live with cats?" Buffy asked half teasingly.

"Something like that." Giles agreed with a small nod, figuring that it was a good of an analogy as any.

"Ok. You know what? You're right." Buffy stood a determined expression on her face. "Take a mental pic. This is the new Buffy, kinder, gentler… roommate extraordinaire." Giles looked up at her with a somewhat bemused expression.

* * *

In her dorm room Kathy was trying to get the stain out of her sweater an annoyed scowl on her face as she rubbed at it with a damp cloth. Glancing down her scowl deepened to see that the corner of the throw rug was lifted up. Leaving her sweater for a moment she bent down flipping it back down so that it sat neatly in place. Kathy smiled at it, before she turned her eyes back to her ruined sweater, the smile slipped off her face to be replaced with a scowl.

Kathy dropped the cloth on top of her ruined sweater deciding that there was no fixing. She looked over at Buffy's closet door, getting up from her bed, she walked over slowly unlatching the bolt that kept the wardrobe closed Kathy stepped in and glanced around her close her eyes immediately settling on a light blue sweater that caught her attention. Kathy smiled at it as she lifted the sweater off the hook it had been hung on. What did it matter if she 'borrowed' one of her roommate sweaters. Kathy frowned it wasn't like Buffy would be around much longer to care. Kathy smiled, it was probably a good thing considering what had developed that she didn't really like the girl all that much; although she did have good fashion sense, which was more than she could say about her disgusting habits. Kathy was about to turn and leave when she noticed a satchel a part of a crossbow sticking out of the closed over bag.

Curiously Kathy walked over to it, opening the satchel she took out a pistol gripped crossbow and a large wooden cross. Kathy held the items in her hands for a log moment, wondering what in the world her roommate would be doing with such things. They were dangerous after all. Kathy shrugged her roommate was weird and most definitely a slob. When she was taken away, she'd sort through her stuff and take what she wanted then, and dispose of the rest. Putting the cross and crossbow back in the satchel Kathy flipped it closed walking out of the closet she flipped the bolt back in place and slide the sweater up her arms, before shrugging it over her shoulders. Walking across the room she returned to the cloth and her ruined sweater picking them up she walked out of the room with them, taking them both to the dumpster shoot.

* * *

In the Rocket Café, the university dining hall Buffy grabbed a tray from the pile and headed towards the back of the line. Her eyes widened as she spotted Kathy just entering the line, and quickly brought the tray up to cover her face , and without a real thought she quickly ducked into the line to hide from sight. The male student she cut in front of took a quick peek behind trying to identify the cute petite blonds hurry. He looked back at her. "Ex-boyfriend? Or loan shark?" He asked.

Buffy turned to look at him. "Excuse me?"

"The person you're hiding from." The boy stated.

"Oh… both." Buffy lied, thinking it sounded better then she was hiding from her overly perky perfectionist roommate. "Ugly breakup." Buffy explained, which wasn't so much a lie, the break up like situation with Angelus would most assuredly fall in the ugly category. "I'm sorry, I just cut you…"

The boy waved her off. "No, stay… stay. I'll watch your back." He offered with a well practiced charm smile that lit up his face. Buffy's glance turned a little wary, but she tried not to show it. In her limited one man… well vampire experience charm smiles were used to lull into a false sense of security and hope. They advanced in the line coming up to the self-serve area. They both started getting their food. Parker looked over at her examining the way she filled her tray. "Freshman, huh?" Parker asked, although he didn't really need to, he knew most of the beautiful women on the campus, and he'd never laid eyes on this one before.

Buffy looked up at him surprised. "Is it that obvious?" She asked not sure she liked that it was that pegable, after being here a couple of weeks now.

"There are signs." He informed her as he picked up a single serve box of cereal and stuffed it in the breast pocket of his shirt. "For instance, people who've been around for awhile know how to use their dining hall card."

"It's not for food?" Buffy asked dubiously, not quiet believing that she could get something like that wrong.

"Work it right, and you can get three meals worth, which equals fewer punch card used annually." He told her with a shrug.

Buffy nodded sagely. "And more cash from dad which you get to keep for yourself."

"Right!" He agreed. "The goal is to polish off as much as humanly possible at one sitting. Enough to get you through the rest of the day, if necessary. While chipmunking items for future consumption."

"Ahh, got it." Buffy murmured as she moved along the row.

"Excess dry goods fit nicely in a backpack, or your pocket." He picked up a small bar and slipped into the back pocket of his jeans. "The wetter items, macaronis, your turkey loaf, then you're into zip-locks. It's not for beginners." He murmured giving her a look that when Buffy met, they seemed to twinkle at her charmingly. Buffy looked away again her heart beating a little faster, but she was still overly unimpressed. "I'll take it slow." Buffy assured him as her mind filled with the image of her recent dream, and she shivered pleasantly, before she scowled scolding herself. Angelus was a no go zone… and the guy in beside her was also a no go zone, if she wanted him to live. Besides there was something about him that just seemed a little off.

They reached the cashier and they handed over their cards for punching. Buffy took hers back, and looked across the hall to see Willow, Xander and Oz seated at a table. The red head noticing her looking over waved at her, her eyes flicked from the boy to her and back again her expression hopeful and curious. "So." He said turning to Buffy as he to received his card.

"So, those are my…" She gestured over at the table where her friends were sitting, and he followed her gaze. Buffy looked up at him curiously. "Are you…"

"Oh no." He said hastily, but with a smile. " I have someone waiting. Otherwise I'd… heh uh, Parker Abrams." He introduced himself offering his hand Buffy took it a little reluctantly. "I'm at Kresge Hall."

"Buffy Summers, Stevenson." Buffy replied releasing his hand.

"Ok well, I'll see you around Buffy Summers of Stevenson." Parker said in farewell.

Buffy smiled widely, charmed despite herself by the boy, although the nagging feeling still tugged at her consciousness. "See ya, Parker Abrams." She called after him. Turning she walked over to the gang and took the last empty seat.

"Hey, say hi to non-college guy." Xander greeted her.

"Not that I mind, but don't non-college guys usually populate the non-campus?" Buffy asked as she pulled her chair in slightly.

Xander shrugged and nodded. "Usually. I just thought I'd come around and check on my girls." He tapped Oz to include him in his statement without the insult of being called a girl."

"And eat off my plate." Willow said with a mock glare in Xander's direction.

"What's the deal Xand, parents not feeding you?" Buffy quipped.

"Sure they do, for a price." Xander muttered.

"So, spill!" Willow exclaimed not being able to wait any longer to satisfy her curiosity, at Buffy's confused look, she indicated Parker sitting across the room, his back to them. "What was that all about, with the cutie patootie?"

Buffy frowned. "I don't know…" Buffy muttered dubiously. "Nothing big, just some random eye twinkling." Willow frowned at Buffy's lack of enthusiasm.

"Oh, a technique I know well. Hit the girl with your best shot, then hasta." Xander said teasingly.

"Gotta respect the drive-by." Oz agreed.

"Low rejection, fond memories." Xander said with a nod.

"It looked like more than that to me. He got all googly-eyed." Willow said her eyes on Buffy hoping for a flare of interest, she'd even settle for a hint at this point.

"That's because he got hit by the Buffinator. Now he's powerless." Xander said sagely, speaking from his own experience.

Buffy frowned and stabbed at her plate with her fork. Whilst Oz nodded. "There's no question he'll be back."

Buffy looked up from her plate. "It wouldn't matter even if he did." She said firmly, earning a startled look from Willow. "I'm not interested in dating." Buffy muttered and Willow's eyes turned sympathetic in sudden understanding.

"You know, Buffy. Angelus has to move on sometime, right." Willow said looking around the table for support. Oz looked back at her with his usual blank face, that if you looked close enough would see a small uncertain frown on his face.

"Right!" Xander agreed with a firm jerky nod.

Buffy's frown deepened, hating the notion despite herself. She shook her head. "I don't think he will." She muttered. "And if he did… his reputation wouldn't really suggest a happy ending."

"Aw you could take him." Xander said, he shrunk slightly in his chair at the despondent look Buffy turned on him he'd been trying to be encouraging.

Willow scowled at her plate shooting glances at the petite blond, she knew that she was worried about Angelus and his reaction to any and all males that interacted with her, that took an interest in her, or vice versa, but she really wanted to help Buffy move on, find someone she could really be happy with… she glanced at Parker who was still sitting with his friends. He might just be the right guy to make Buffy see that Angel wasn't the end all be all of her romantic life. Xander cleared his throat uncomfortably. "So, what else is up with the Buff, any vamp action?"

Buffy pulled herself from her musings that were getting dangerously close to self-pitying. "I did get jumped by a demon of non-specific origin last night."

"Yeah? Something Apocalypse-y? Do we need to assemble the Scooby gang?" Xander asked excitedly.

"No," Buffy said with a suppressed laugh. "But thank you for asking."

"I just got way too excited, didn't I?" Xander said with a self-conscious hint to his expression.

"You just need to get out of the basement a little more there, Xand." Buffy looked up surprised as another tray was placed on their table and her eyes narrowed in annoyance and irritation as she took in the form of Kathy standing above the tray. "Hi, everybody." She said cheerily, before grabbing a chair from a nearby table and, and moved it over. "Squeeze in." She said, when she found it difficult. Obligingly Oz and Xander shuffled over, and Kathy sat in the chair.

"You all know my roomie, Kathy." Buffy sighed.

"Hi." Willow said politely.

"Hey, Kath." Oz greeted.

Before Xander could say anything Buffy who had been looking at Kathy in annoyance noticed the sweater she had donned. "Is that my sweater." She asked sharply.

Kathy looked up at her. 'I didn't think you'd mind," She said with her wide perky smile that made Buffy want to slap it off, as it was she twitched. "I mean you got mine all muddy."

Buffy scowled at her. "I was saving you from a…"

"Bear!" Willow interceded panicked.

Buffy gave Willow a look. "Mugger." The petite blond finished and Willow blushed at her hasty mistake, of course Buffy wouldn't tell her it was a demon.

"It's not a problem, is it?" Kathy asked. "I mean, I figured we're almost like sisters now, living together and everything."

Buffy sighed, now she couldn't say anything against it without seeming petty. "No, it's… it's fine. I just wished you'd asked."

"So, where're you from, Kathy?" Xander asked trying to ease the conversation in a different direction.

"Nebraska, originally." Kathy lied easily, as she picked up the big sloppy hamburger from her tray."

"Ahh, yes. Big sky country." Xander said knowledgeably. Buffy watched intensely as Kathy bit into her burger, her eyes focusing on the red tomato sauce that was oozing out of the hamburger. As she watched it was if time began playing in slow motion as the big blob slipped out of the burger and dropped through the air to land in a long sliding line on her light blue sweater. Buffy narrowed her eyes, before getting up in a jerky motion, her chair sliding out noisily making Kathy look at her annoyed. "I think I need a breath of fresh air." Buffy muttered before walking away, the set in her shoulders making her friends look after her worriedly but stay in their seats.

* * *

Buffy stormed through the campus, the sun shining down on her a mockery of her dark mood. Buffy ran her hands through her hair as she tried to calm herself down, the image of the sauce hitting her sweater replaying in her mind, and every time it did, she was more and more certain that the action had been deliberate! How could it not have been? No doubt it was Kathy's way of getting back at her for ruining her sweater, which wasn't even all that good looking to begin with! Buffy came to a stop in a secluded area and punched a tree, the action making her feel better, calming her slightly, so she did it again, and again.

After a few moment's Buffy stopped breathing hard, but feeling much lighter. She looked down at the back of her hand her knuckles covered in blood, and she sighed as the pain started to register, and she wiggled her fingers experimentally. Unbidden her mind turned Angelus and the way he had examined her arm when it had been injured in the fight with Sunday. Buffy sank down on the grass, leaning back so that she could lie down on it. She looked up at the sky as her thoughts raced. A small smile on her face as she thought about the care he had taken with her arm. Buffy shook her head shouldn't be thinking like that, it was all part of the plan that Angelus was working on her now. She couldn't let herself fall into that trap, not again. Her heart had been injured enough to last a lifetime of lifetimes.

Buffy sighed as her thoughts turned to the dream she had, had of herself and Angelus. There had been no pain there only feeling, the warmth of shared love had consumed her. Buffy frowned, as nice as it had been it was dangerous. Dangerous to the protective walls that she was struggling to maintain, she couldn't afford to allow herself the hope that one day they could share that bond. That she would be allowed to love him, that he wouldn't hurt her. Her frown deepened as his words came back to her. _'I'm trying to prove that I'm not your enemy, and that I'm not going to hurt you anymore.'_ It was ludicrous and stupid, but the words wouldn't leave her, wouldn't stop jumping out at her at the oddest of times.

It could have been that, which had inspired her dream last night, or it could have been her own wistful, lustful fantasies coming into play. Oh how Angelus would love to know that. He'd probably get a good chuckle out of that. Buffy Summers: pathetic enough to still love and lust after the vampire that was the bane of her existence. The image of his eyes filled with the strange hate-less expression in them filled her minds eye and Buffy groaned, why could they leave her alone! Why did everything have to make it harder for her to stay away from the tall dark evil vampire. Her heart, her mind, her body, her wants and desires… they all wanted Angelus. To run to him, and have him hold her.

But he wouldn't hold her. He'd laugh at her, call her pathetic, mock her with the cruel words that so easily fell off his tongue. It made her miss Angel all the more, she may not have been able to express her love for Angel in the physical sense, but she could still express it. She didn't have to fear spending time with him, she didn't have to fear his intensions. She didn't have to fear Angel period. Buffy watched clouds blow by in the sky as Angelus danced in her minds eye every cruel and twisted expression that had ever been turned on her, distorting his beautiful face with all the hate he felt towards her.

How was it that he could be so devious and cunning and be so stupid as to think that she would fall for his sudden about face in his attentions towards her. Sure she had fallen for it once, but that had been when under a flag of truce, and 'fool me once shame once you. Fool me twice shame on me,' right? Buffy made an incoherent sound as her heart clenched and ached for the dark vampire. Missing him and the closeness that they had once shared, all the time spent sharing kisses and petting whilst supposed to be patrolling. Buffy sat up with a groan. Her life was never going to be easy was it?

* * *

That night Buffy stood in her dorm room pacing the short space between their two beds as she talked to Willow on the phone, the calm she had managed to acquire having evaporated the moment she had laid eyes on her perky black haired roommate. The window at the head of her bed open to let in a breeze that was supposed to help keep her calm in accordance to Willow. "I mean, can you believe her? First she acts like she has sit privileges at my lunch table just because some computer had to make us cellmates." Buffy unwrapped a stick of gum and stuck it in her mouth, the flavour bursting over her tongue.

"I'm sure it's not easy for her." Willow said reasonably through the phone. "She's not like you, she doesn't know anybody here."

"Fine." Buffy conceded, believing that she probably was being unreasonable about sitting with her friends. "But what about my sweater! You can't believe the stuff that I have to put up with."

Willow looked around her own dorm room that was in the middle of a party music blaring, forcing her to plug the ear that wasn't listening to Buffy talk through the phone, as she sat huddled on her bed trying to keep as far away from the rowdy party as possible. ""Yeah, I guess it's hard… uh… but I'm sure the sweater with was an accident." Willow's head jerked to the side as a nerf football hit her in the side of the head.

Buffy frowned. "I don't know Will…" Buffy glanced over at the door as she heard footsteps coming to a stop outside her dorm door. "I think she's just coming back from the bathroom. I'll call you back." Buffy said quickly, before hanging up.

Kathy entered the room just as Buffy put down the receiver. "Don't forget to log those calls." She said chirpily, as she sat on her bed facing Buffy, and began flossing her teeth.

Buffy grimaced in irritation, turning her eyes away Buffy walked over to her backpack. Pulling out an apple she walked over to the mini refrigerator. Whilst her back is turned Kathy got up and closed the window over Buffy's bed, before sitting back down to continue flossing her teeth.

Buffy opened the fridge door and paused as she took in the almost completely full fridge. Everything marked with Kathy's name. even the dozen boiled eggs had Kathy printed on the shell, each facing outwards and in the same direction; for easy reading. Buffy took it in with a small scowl of annoyance. Searching the fridge she found an empty spot in the fridge door. Squeezing her apple into the small space, closing the fridge door Buffy turned to see that her window had been shut. Walking over Buffy opened the window again, and sat down on her bed.

Kathy finished her flossing, not showing her annoyance overly much having the cool breeze washing over once again. Leaning over to the nightstand she picked up a paperback book. She felt a small resistance as gum stretch from the table to the book, before it broke. Kathy looked from the remaining gum on the stand to the gum that was attached to the back of her book. "Ewwww!" Kathy grumbled. "Who left their gum here?" She asked in the manner that annoyed Buffy so. Who else apart from the two of them lived in this small room.

Buffy waited a beat thinking up a clever answer. "Gum gnome?" She suggested.

Kathy glared at her. "It wasn't me! It had to be somebody, Buffy!" Kathy said accusingly.

Buffy swallowed the gun she had been chewing. "I don't know." She shrugged with all the innocence in the world, feeling a certain satisfaction at irritating her roommate.

Kathy slammed the book down on the stand on the opposite side of her bed, before turning off the light there. Buffy turned off her own light and rolled to face away from Kathy.

Buffy struggled as a demon much like the one she had fought the night before, but smaller in stature held her down, and forced blood down her throat. It's green glowing eyes staring at her in the darkness of her dorm room. It put a scorpion on the bare skin of her belly, it having pulled her night shirt up to reveal her toned stomach. It took hold of her mouth forcing it open once again. opening its own mouth it drew a light, gossamer substance out of her mouth and into it's own. Buffy woke with a start sitting up in her bed breathing hard.

"Do you always make that noise when you sleep?" Kathy asked drawing her attention to the fact that Kathy was also wake and sitting up in her bed.

Buffy scowled at her thoroughly annoyed by the fact that the girl was even awake. "Like you're one to talk, Miss Snores-like-a-Troll." Buffy snarked turning over. "An ugly one." Buffy muttered to herself as she lay back down pulling the blankets over herself.

* * *

Buffy mewled as Angelus held her arms pinned above her head, her eyes were staring up at the high ceiling of Angelus' bedroom, the vampire in question laying a sensual siege on her body. His mouth at this moment attacking her breasts bringing her hard nipples, to even harder peaks, almost painfully so. The cool wet laving of his tongue soothing them. She whimpered though as he moved on trailing kisses and nips down her body, her breasts already missing the attention. She wriggled underneath him trying to free her hands for a moment.

She stilled her attempts for a moment as she froze, Angelus' mouth drawing dangerously close to her navel. She stifled the giggle that wanted to erupt for a moment, but her belly heaved with the effort and trying to evade his touch. Angelus grinned against her skin as he played with her navel and this time Buffy couldn't stop the girlish sound from escaping her. "Angelus! No! Stop mercy!" Buffy begged as she wiggled beneath him squirming to get away now. Angelus chuckled and after a moment continued on down his hand releasing her wrists as he placed a kiss to the soft curls guarding her mound, before moving up her body again.

Buffy whined in disappointment, her core pulsing in need denied. When he loomed over her Buffy threaded her fingers into his thick silky hair. "When are you going to stop teasing me?" She asked with a pout.

Angelus traced his middle finger along her bottom lip. Buffy sucked the digit into her mouth suckling it teasingly, running her tongue along and around it reacquainting herself with the taste of his skin. Angelus groaned and dipped down kissing along her neck nipping affectionately at the scar that rested their; his scar. His pulsing cock pressing against her swollen labia. Buffy released his finger with a small pop. "Please Angelus… now?"

Angelus nipped once again at her scar making her shiver violently at the heat it added to the already fiery heat pooled in her belly. He looked up at her, his hands coming up to frame her face, his thumbs resting against her heated cheeks. "When I'm ready lover." Buffy pouted up at him. "Patience is a virtue." He kissed her lightly on the lips resisting her attempts to deepen the kiss. "And I've wasted so much time, already. Time that would have been better spent worshiping your luscious tight little body." Angelus grinned down at her wolfishly, sending heat pounding through her and she whined arching her hips up against his, rubbing against him wantonly.

Angelus growled at her huskily, bringing his hands down he grasped her hips forcing them back down on the bed. Buffy let out a cry of lose. The distended nub of her clit quivering sending pulsations of pleasure through her nerves, Buffy tossed her head at the feeling a keening whimper escaping her wordlessly begging him to stop his sensual torment and give her what she so desperately wanted. "Hmm." Angelus murmured his chest rumbling with the sound. "Now where were we?" Buffy opened her tightly shut eyes a glimmer of hope in them. Angelus grinned down at her, and the hope faded, as she knew, just knew that he had no plans of letting up anytime soon. "Oh, yes. I remember." He dipped down, and Buffy's lips quivered as her lips parted slightly anticipating a kiss, but he slid past her lips. His cool skin of his cheek brushing against hers.

His lips brushed light teasing kissing along the column of her neck, making Buffy moan as the sensual gentle touches seemed to set her skin on fire, as the nerves there responded. She was wet, so wet that the head of Angelus' cock was bathed in her wetness. She could feel him at her entrance a mere tantalizing centimetre away from penetration. All she had to do was lift her hips and he would slide inside her stretching her, filling her, giving her what she needed. But his hand still pinned her hips to the mattress unable to move. Buffy strained against the strength of his hands, as she slid her hands down to grip his ass and she squeezed as she tried to force him closer to enter her like she so desperately wanted.

The action made Angelus growl in need, the sound rumbling from his chest to hers, making Buffy gasp. Her gasp turned to a keening cry as his mouth locked on her scar and began suckling strongly as if feeding, but made no attempt to draw blood from the healed wound. Buffy's body stilled for what felt like an eternity to the petite blond, before she remembered how to move, and her hands slid from his ass to moved up his back until finally she reached his head and she held him closer. Encouraging him on, her legs shifted on the bed as the steady suckling brought her closer, and closer. Buffy rolled her hips against the grip of his hands striving for the release that had been so long denied her since joining him for the carnal delights that they had been pursuing.

She arched her upper body against his rubbing her breasts against his chest wantonly needing the extra friction. "Please, oh, please!" Buffy panted as she rolled her hips faster, she could feel the built up passion inside her about to explode, if only he would keep… "No! No! No!" Buffy cried desperately as she wreathed under him her body pulsing just about to fall over the edge all she'd needed was one or possibly two more pulls from his mouth and she would have been there! Falling over the edge into carnal bliss! But he'd stopped, he stopped, he stopped! Buffy's body quivered in unfulfilled need, her breathing heavy, tears of frustration spilling from her eyes to roll down her cheeks.

Angelus kissed and licked the tears from her cheeks, a self satisfied grin on his face. Buffy opened her eyes to see him grinning down at her the satisfaction practically radiating from him as he stared down at her, his tongue running over his lips that reminded her of the cat that had got the canary. "You evil…" Buffy panted.

"Definitely." Angelus purred,

"Torturous," Buffy continued.

"Most assuredly."

"Bastard." She finished.

Angelus gave her a chiding look. "Now Buff, how many times do I have to tell you? Me parents were married when I was born."

Buffy scowled at him, before she smirked. "Not," She heaved her body up in a sudden movement surprising Angelus. "The kind of 'bastard' I was referring to." She growled as she settled herself on top of him, her hips over his. Her hands splayed on his chest for balance. "Now," Buffy purred, her expression that of triumph. "I believe that it's my turn." Buffy bit her bottom lip as she began lowering herself down on his hard cock. Her breath hitching as she felt the tip of him pressing against her entrance. She slowly lowered herself down until the tip of his cock was buried inside her, before she stopped squeezing her muscles around him, earning a groaning growl from Angelus. Buffy's fingers curled into his chest, her nails leaving small bloody welts in his skin.

Buffy went to press down lower squeezing her inner muscles around him as she did so, she was halted however by a pair of strong hands fastening themselves to her hips as Angelus growled thickly. Buffy met his eyes for a moment, the brown orbs tinted with amber, she let out a small yelp as he rolled them back over immediately settling himself back on top of her. Buffy hands still rested against his chest, and she moved them to the side so that her fingers rested over his nipples, and she tweeked them in time with squeezing her inner walls around the tip of Angelus' cock that was still sheathed inside her. Angelus growled again, and brought his lips down hard on hers cutting the skin of her lip. Buffy whimpered in need wriggling against him.

Angelus pulled back from her mouth, lick the small bit of blood off his lip, then seeing to hers. Buffy squeezed herself around him again and Angelus growled at her once more, but Buffy only bit her lower lip at him an innocent expression on her face. "Impatient little kitten." He muttered his self control torn to shreds. Buffy grinned bracing herself for the powerful thrust that was no doubt about to push him the rest of the way inside her, finally giving her the thick fullness of him. His moved his hips back slipping from inside her, Buffy raised her legs cradling his hips with her thighs, spreading herself enticingly waiting for it. She felt his hips thrust forward and the tip of him slip inside her, and she gasped arching up to accept the rest of him…

A pillow hit Buffy's head jolting her awake. "No! No! No!" Buffy whined her body pulsing with an aching unfulfilled need for the second night in a row, her sheath clenching emptily as her body wondered where the anticipated thrust had gone.

"Jeez, do you always make those moaning sounds in your sleep!" Kathy grumbled picking her pillow up from the floor. "Some of us need sleep to concentrate in class you know."

Buffy shot Kathy a withering look, her eyes landing on the pillow in her hands as the girl walked back to her bed, and she scowled angrily, she was the one that had ended her dream. "Right, like it's any easier to sleep next to a girl whose snores sound like thunder." Buffy bristled throwing the covers off herself, ignoring the withering look Kathy shot her for her comment as she settled back into her bed.

Buffy walked around the room not making any effort to be quiet. Opening walking over to her wardrobe Buffy loudly opened a drawer and pulled out a folded towel, before slamming it closed. Kathy glared at her from her own bed, as Buffy noisily pulled clothes from the hangers, before moving to leave the room, only to pause halfway across, before turning back. Opening a different drawer in her room she pulled out some panties, before slamming that drawer closed and opening another, to pull out a fresh bra, before slamming that one closed. Walking out of her wardrobe again, she pushed the door closed with a loud irritating click, before sliding the bolt back on with a loud metallic thud. Buffy ignored Kathy's glare, before the girl closed her eyes believing the noise to be over. With a malicious smirk that she had learned from watching Angelus Buffy slammed the dorm room door closed.

Kathy jerked and opened her eyes again with an annoyed little demonic growl, before she turned over and tried to go back to sleep. She had classes after all, in a couple of hours no less. She'd be so relieved when her tribesmen to the petite blond away. Hopefully this time she'd be placed with a better less slob-like roommate.

* * *

Buffy walked into the floor bathroom, it was empty this time of morning something she was glad for. She never did really like showering with other people around, despite the fact that there were cubicles. Buffy walked into one of the middle cubicles in the row of showers. Closing the door, and locking it. She put her clothes down on the small shelve and hung up her towel on the back of the door. Walking a couple of paces into the actual shower Buffy reached over and turned on the faucets, before walking back and stripping out of her clothes, she grimaced as she felt her sticky wetness rolling down her thighs as she pulled off her panties which were drenched. Buffy dropped them to the floor, before walking back to the shower. Testing the water temp, Buffy adjusted the water temperatures until it was just nicely cool, hoping that it would help ease the lusty heat encompassing her body.

Stepping under the spray, Buffy pulled the curtain that separated the dry area of the cubicle from the wet. The cool water rained down on her skin sliding down her body, and Buffy groaned as she closed her eyes the droplets reminding her of Angelus' cool wet tongue as it had slid over her belly and into her navel tickling her mercilessly, her body quivered at the reminder and her centre clenched with aching need. She arched her neck involuntarily as she remembered the feel of his tongue sliding against the skin there, over her scar as he suckled. Buffy shuddered as pleasure racked through her petite body.

She should really change the water temperature to something hotter, something that wouldn't remind her of the feel of Angelus against her… Buffy stood still for a long moment before finally moving her hand going to the hot water knob. She hesitated there for a long moment, before deliberately changing the temperature to something much hotter than the usual temperature of Angelus' body. Buffy sighed as her body lamented the loss, her skin tingling with the ghost of her resent dream his hands and tongue still whispering over her skin. At that moment it was hard to remember why she couldn't just go to Angelus and sate her need.

* * *

Angelus walked through his mansion as the dawn broke for the day. He hadn't seen Buffy for the last couple of nights, not even from a distance, and he found that he missed it. Missed it more than he had ever thought it possible to miss something. He'd have to see her tonight, or the agitated energy inside him would cause him to explode he was sure! Angelus scowled at one of the windows covered by the thick curtain, he could sense the sun rising in the sky chasing away the shadows of the night, keeping him from seeking her out now.

Never before had he lamented the loss of being able to walk out in the sun. The night had suited him, made his prey all the more terrified. Running through the dark not being able to see what was chasing them, but the sounds of pursuit dogged their every step. Until suddenly he was just there, and never where they expected. Angelus sighed and walked towards the curtain his hand fisting in it pulling it away slightly, letting a sliver of the harmful rays into his mansion. Slowly he raised his hand. Almost hopefully, and allowed the tips of his fingers into the rays.

Almost immediately they began smoking and pain lanced from his finger tips down his fingers and into his hand. Angelus jerked his hand back with a muttered curse and let the curtain fall back into place. He looked at his hand as the burnt tips returned to their normal colour. He sighed, he should have made more of an effort to see her last night, but he hadn't found her out on patrol, something he found unusual and by the time he finished looking, he knew that she'd be asleep in that dorm room. He'd even gone up just to make sure, and sure enough the soft sounds of her breathing reached his ears, and the light unfamiliar snores of her roommate reached his ears to.

Angelus furrowed his brow in determination. Tomorrow night he'd seek out Buffy, he'd given the seeds of doubt plenty of time to take root. It was more than time to continue with his siege on Buffy's defences.

* * *

Buffy, Giles, Willow and Oz sat in comfortable padded chair in an open lounge area of the university. Buffy having called him to talk about her dream… the first one she'd had that night. "So then after the scorpion, the demon opened my mouth and sucked some kind of weird light out of me. A-and the worst part. I wake up and there's Kathy, staring at me like I'm some kind of freak." Buffy muttered.

"Well, actually." Oz said in his usual monotone, as he sat next to Willow. "The worst part, I'd have to go with the demon pouring the down your throat."

Willow nodded. "Me too, I would vote that too." She agreed.

"But that was just a dream." Buffy said dismissively. "And this Kathy thing is real." Buffy frowned. "All she cared about was that her precious sleep had been disturbed." Kathy came into the lounge area walking up behind Giles when she noted Buffy and the others.

"Perhaps it would be more productive to examine your dreams um, determine their meaning." Giles told her.

Before Buffy could make a reply Kathy spoke up drawing their attention to her presence. "You can read dreams? Neat."

Buffy looked over at her in irritation. "Giles, Kathy. Kathy, Giles." She introduced reluctantly. What was with the girl and trying to muscle in on all her time with her friends?

"He's our grown up friend." Willow supplied kindly. "N-not in a creepy way." She added nervously as Buffy shot her a dark look, for encouraging her roommates continual mooching.

"Nice to meet you, Kathy." Giles said politely looking up at the girl that Buffy was having so much trouble living with. To his eyes she didn't seem like that much of an annoyance, but then he didn't live with her.

"Ditto." Kathy beamed perkily. "Maybe you could read the dream I had last night?" Kathy beamed, guessing what Buffy had been telling them about, wanting to erase any suspicions that the irritating blond might have raised in her direction. "There was, like this monster, and he sat on me and did all this stuff to me."

Oz looked over at her. "Stuff like, scorpions? And Blood Mary minus the Mary?" He questioned.

"That's it!" Kathy exclaimed acting surprised. "How'd you know?"

"Well, I'm a good guesser." Oz told her as Buffy glared up at her.

"Me too," Buffy said her hazel eyes looking at her roomie piercingly. "And I'm guessing you need to be on your way to class. Right, Kath?"

"Hmm hmm," Kathy hummed. "Sounds like somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

Buffy felt herself twitch in annoyance, and her eyes narrowed on the black haired girl. "Hmm hmm," She hummed in a mocking parody of Kathy's. "And guess what? You were next to it."

Kathy shot Buffy a look. "You know, I do need to dash. My whole schedule is off because someone kept me up all night." She muttered accusingly in the blonds direction. "Well, it's been fun." She said to the others. "Toodles." She beamed, before turning to leave.

"Toodles." Buffy called after her mockingly, with a small mocking wave.

Giles cleared his throat to attract Buffy's attention. "You know what this means…"

"Yes." Buffy declared cutting him off. "Not only does she take my sweater, but now she has to horn in on my dreams. She is the most ever mooch… oh, I haven't even gotten started on the floss." Buffy grumbled her hands clenching into white knuckled fits that would have broken bones… Kathy's bones in particular.

"Buffy, focus, please?" Giles pleaded. "If Kathy and you are having the same nightmares, chances are something happened to you both when you met the demon in the woods."

"So we need to figure out if this ritual their dreaming about has some special use, or meaning." Willow summarized, her gaze turning to Buffy worriedly as she got up and began gathering her things.

"Great." The petite blond said as she finished. "Cool, you guys can do the brain thing. I'm gonna go to class."

"Which could also be construed as the brain thing." Oz told her as Buffy stood before the group her stuff gathered in her arms.

"Not when you're minoring in Napping 101." Buffy quipped silently hoping to be able to finally finish on of her Angelus dreams. If she couldn't have him in real life, why couldn't she have him in a dream world… what was the harm? Buffy turned and left, a nagging red flag trying to catch her attention. Doing its best to remind her why it was a bad idea. But at this moment that particular little voice of reason couldn't be heard by the petite blond.

Willow watched her go worriedly. "Ok, so that was the evil twin, right?" She asked turning her gaze to Giles and Oz. "'Cause she was bordering on Cordelia-esque."

Oz shrugged. "Well, she's definitely pushing the stress meter on this Kathy thing."

Giles nodded. "I concur she's not uh, herself, but, you know, uh, learning to live with someone can be a challenge."

"A-and she hasn't been sleeping." Willow pipped up, feeling somewhat relieved that had to be it. the stress of college, and having a roomie she couldn't stand, and not sleeping. It was all bottling up that had to be it!

"Right then." Giles stood. "Nothing to get to concerned about." He cleared his throat worriedly. "Still let me know if she, um…"

"Hit's the red zone." Oz supplied when Giles struggled for a word that wouldn't worry the two you adults still sitting in the couches.

"Yes." Giles said uncomfortably, before turning and making his way towards the school exit. Oz and Willow got up to, needing to prepare for their next class.

* * *

In the cover provided by the darkness of the night, in a patch of the university campus thick with trees. The two cloaked orange skinned demons stood. "We were correct. She is the one." The first demon said to his companion.

The second demon the burlier one nodded. "Good. I have prepared for the summoning of the great one, Taparrich."

The two lowered their hoods revealing their bald orange heads, turning the face the fire the second demon had lit during his preparations, and began to chant the spell necessary to summon their great leader to the dimension his daughter had run to.

* * *

Buffy walked up the steps to Stevenson Hall, not noticing that a pair of dark eyes watched her, drinking in the sight of her from a short distance away from the cover of the trees. Buffy walked into the building with a disappointed sigh, it was early only really having just gotten dark and she couldn't avoid going to her dorm any longer, she needed to get ready for patrol, whilst sneaking around Kathy.

Buffy scowled as she thought about the dark haired girl she was forced to share a dorm with and Giles thoughts on it being the demon she had fought doing. Buffy huffed in disbelief, she still thought it was because Kathy just couldn't help mooching off her, and homing on her dreams was just another way for her too mooch. Buffy got up to the second floor of Stevenson Hall and she walked down the corridor towards her room. First her sweater, then her friends… Buffy opened the door to her shared dorm and paused in the doorway… and now Parker? Buffy thought with a dark scowl, not caring that she hadn't really thought much of the far to charming boy when she had met him… it was the Principle of the thing! He was her dining hall, card, guy!

Not realizing that Buffy was in the room Parker kept his focus on Kathy as he half lay on her bed as Kathy sat on it. "Lots of popular artists don't get their dues. Madonna? Whitney?"

"That's so totally true." Kathy beamed in her perky voice.

Buffy thought she was going to be sick as she saw the expression on Kathy's face as she leaned closer. "Parker?" Buffy questioned as she stepped in through the doorway leaving the door open.

Parker looked over at her and smiled, and got up off the bed and walked over to her. "Hey, uh, I just dropped by to say… that." Parker saw the expression on the petite blonds face and changed tacks. "Uh, and bring you…" He held out a box of plastic zip-lock bags, which Buffy took silently. "You, to maximize your dining hall exports, they're heavy duty."

Buffy looked down at the box. "Plus freezer guard! That's so…"

"See through." A male voice said darkly from the doorway, drawing everyone's attention to the door. Kathy got up from the bed and walked over to stand by Parker to get a closer look at the hot stranger standing in her doorway.

Buffy looked at her as she stood tense. "Angelus… I didn't realize you knew where I was staying." Buffy muttered crossing her arms defensively, fighting against the way of lust that was assaulting her senses, something that seemed more intense after the far from innocent dreams she had been having of him lately.

Angelus shrugged and smiled at Buffy. "I have my sources." Angelus said with what looked like a conspiratorial tap of his nose.

Buffy however knew better and her eyes narrowed. "So you sniffed me out, did you?"

"Something like that." Angelus murmured his eyes turning to Parker, he swept his eyes over the good looking boy, and he felt a growl threaten to rumble in his chest, and his eyes flashed with anger. He knew exactly what he was, and he didn't like that he was hanging around his petite blond. He turned his eyes to the black haired girl standing next to the boy, eyeing him with interest and he smiled at her calmly knowing that he'd probably need her to gain entrance to the room. He turned his gaze back to Buffy who was still clutching the freezer guard zip-lock bags box in her small hands. "So, aren't you going to invite me in, lover? Introduce me to your friends here?"

Buffy tilted her head. "I don't know, I think I prefer you out there." She lied.

Kathy stepped forward, her perky smile curving her lips widely. "Aw, aren't you just the politest. Of course you can,"

"Kathy!" Buffy growled.

"Come in. I'm Kathy by the way. Buffy's roomie." Kathy finished shooting Buffy an annoyed look before turning her beaming smile back on Angelus as he stepped through the door his eyes locked on Buffy's. "You know not many people wait to be invited in these days."

Angelus turned his gaze to Kathy and he half smiled at her. "Well, what can I say? I'm an old fashioned gentleman at heart." Kathy beamed up at him. "Aren't I Buff?" Angelus asked turning his brown orbs back to Buffy.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, in more ways than one." She muttered.

"Oh, ouch, love." Angelus said with a warm teasing tone as he stepped past Parker and over to Buffy his arm settling around Buffy's back holding her to him in a deceptively strong grip. "That hurt."

Parker looked up at the taller muscular man that was holding the petite blond so possessively, and the torn look on her face. His eyes went back to the mans, his eyes met his and a shiver ran through him at the dark intensity that was directed at him. Promising him pain if he didn't back off. He turned his eyes to Buffy, and he smiled not in the least put off by the imposing older guy. He was always up to a challenge, and their wasn't a girl yet that he hadn't managed to seduce… boyfriend or no boyfriend. "Well, I should probably go. I'll see you around Buffy." He turned to Kathy. "See ya."

"See ya." Kathy beamed.

"Yeah, see you around." Buffy called after him whilst attempting to extract herself from under Angelus' heavy arm. It felt to good for comfort, reminded her too much of her dreams. Dreams: Good. Reality: Bad… right?

Kathy turned her eyes back to Angelus and Buffy who had finally slipped out from the familiar weight of Angelus' arm. "So you're names Angelus, right? I only ask 'cause names fascinate me, and yours sounds so… exotic." Kathy asked, making Buffy scowl with jealousy.

Angelus smirked at her, and sat down on Buffy's bed. "It's hails from Ireland." He grabbed Buffy by the elbow and tugged her down next to him on the bed, before taking one of her hands in his. "Gaelic word for Angel."

"Although, he's anything but." Buffy muttered as she set aside the zip-lock bags box on her bed, as she felt Angelus' thumb caressing the back of her hand with soft teasing circular motions.

"Well you'd know all about that wouldn't you Buff?" Angelus said his tone teasing as he kissed the side of her head, surprising Buffy with the move.

Kathy looked between them careful to keep the perky smile on her face. "So are you two..."

"A couple?" Angelus finished. "Yes."

"No." Buffy said at the exact same time. Making Kathy look at them both strangely.

"Now, Buff no need to be shy." Angelus teased her, squeezing her hand. Buffy squeezed back harder, making him wince slightly.

"Oh, I see?" Kathy fixed her perky smile back on her face. "Buffy never mentioned she had a boyfriend." She added wanting to drive a wedge between the two.

Buffy shrugged glaring at Kathy, not liking at all the way she was looking at Angelus. "What can I say, I'm shy." She muttered sarcastically.

"Really? I never would have guessed it to look at you." Kathy said in her perky friendly voice.

Buffy read the insult loud and clear and she scowled at Kathy darkly a cutting reply forming on her tongue. Before she could voice it Angelus spoke up used to be verbal sparred over, but he wasn't interested in listening. He'd gotten what he wanted from Buffy's roommate. "Why don't we go for a walk lover? You could show me the grounds."

"No, I don't think that's a good idea. It's late and… I might wake Kathy coming back up." Buffy said feigning concern for her roommate, as she tried to disentangle their hands, but Angelus held firm. "Right, Kathy?"

"Oh, don't be silly. I don't mind. Go take a walk with your fella. It sounds like you've been neglecting him." Kathy assured with her usual perky smile.

Buffy scowled at Kathy. Who was she to talk? She didn't know that half of it! "See, Buff. Kathy doesn't mind."

"She minded last night." Buffy muttered bitterly, her mind trying to search for an excuse to not go, as Angelus pulled her to her feet and began leading her out.

"Have fun Buffy." Kathy called as Angelus pulled her towards the door. Buffy shot Kathy a last glaring look, before Angelus led her out the door and down the corridor. Kathy sighed happily glad to have the dorm to herself again. Getting up off her bed she walked over to the door and closed it firmly.

* * *

Buffy walked beside Angelus down one of the many paths around the campus her arms crossed under her chest a small distance between them. Having managed to wrench her hand away from his grip as they got on to the path. "Your dorm room looked surprisingly nice, for a freshman."

Buffy looked over at him. "You do know that I can just un-invite you again." Buffy muttered firmly, coming to the conclusion that, that what his game had been tonight, getting access into her dorm.

Angelus smirked down at her brushing his fingers down her arm. "And you do know that your little roomie can just invite me in again. She seemed to like me."

"Yeah, because you got her thinking that I like you. The little mooching fiend." Buffy grumbled darkly.

Angelus looked over at Buffy with fiend surprise. "You mean you don't?"

Buffy felt her lips twitch against her will, as she struggled to cling to the inhibitions that she knew were there for a reason, but over the last couple of days with the dreams she had been having. She was finding it harder and harder to keep them in mind. The fragile walls she had built around herself seemed transparent and thin with holes cracking through it. "Right, cause I'm crazy like that." Buffy quipped sarcastically turning her gaze away from him, doing her best to keep up her struggle.

They walked in silence for a long moment, Buffy contemplating making a break for it, her emotions all topsy turvy and conflicting in Angelus' presence. "He's a player." Angelus stated out of the blue.

Buffy looked over at him surprised. "Who?" She asked.

Angelus frowned at her. "The boy you were entertaining in your dorm tonight. He's a player… and by all the scents intermingled with his… a successful one."

Buffy frowned in return. "So you take one look at Parker and label him player? Angelus you didn't even talk to him. And those scents could be from just walking next to a female student, or-or having to sit next to one in class. This is a co-ed University Angelus."

"If its' one thing a player recognizes, it's another player." Angelus muttered darkly, before realizing what that sounded like and mentally cursed. "And if Liam was anything other than a lazy thief, it was a player." Buffy winced slightly at the reminder that as a human Angel hadn't exactly been a monk, and Angelus hadn't been much better… "And even if he hadn't been, the female scents that were clinging to him were the kind that's intimately imbedded. The kind you get when you've had sex with them," Angelus looked over at Buffy and ran the back of his hand gently down her cheek. "Just like my scent is intimately imbedded into your skin." Buffy pulled back from the touch with a frown even as she shivered, not replying to him, as she thought about the weird feeling she had gotten when Parker had been talking to her in the food line.

Once again they walked in silence as Buffy thought of the feeling she had when she had first met Parker, and Angelus just let it soak in for a few long moments. Until he once again broke the silence. "You know I meant what I said."

Buffy fixed him with a look. "What about Kathy liking you? Don't get your hopes up. She's like that with everybody." Buffy frowned. "She's like the Queen of Perkidom. But I tell you it's all an act!"

Angelus looked across at her, wondering what the beef was between Buffy and Kathy. His petite blond wasn't one to normally let anyone get to her like this. "No Buff. About me not hurting you, protecting you."

Buffy frowned. "Oh, that." She looked over into the darkness on her side of the path.

"You don't believe me do you?" Angelus asked softly grabbing her hand, as he came to a stop effectively making Buffy stop in her tracks as well.

"Of course not!" Buffy exclaimed, leaving of the uncertain 'trying not to'. She couldn't give him extra fuel for whatever plan he was working on her.

"When have I ever lied to you?" Angelus asked her.

Buffy whirled to face him on the path. "When have you not used any means to hurt me!" She growled, before whirling away in an attempt to stalk off.

Angelus tightened his grip on her hand and yanked her back, pulling her petite soft body against his hard one, making Buffy's breath catch. He placed a hand under her chin and lifted her head up so that she had to look at him. "I want you." He breathed, before dipping down. Buffy looked up at him with wide eyes frozen as his lips came closer to hers, finally meeting her own in a passionate kiss.

Buffy's eyes fell closed at the sensation of his lips against hers, knowing that this time it wasn't in a dream. Buffy stayed like that kissing Angelus her thoughts scattered for a long moment, before a car horn sounded loudly through the night, jerking her to her senses and she shoved away, deliberately wiping her lips with the back of her hand to stop the temptation of licking them. She backed away from him, her heart pounding. "Don't say that!" Buffy demanded.

Angelus took a stalking step towards her. "What? That I want you? Why not? It's the truth."

Buffy backed up another couple of steps. "Stop it!" She pleaded, before turning tailing and hurrying away, forcing her feet to move quickly one step in front of the other, away from the talk dark evil, but handsome creature of the night. She couldn't believe she had just done that! She couldn't believe how quickly the kiss had captured her.

The dreams it had to be the dreams.

* * *

Buffy walked into her dorm room for the second time that night to find Kathy reading as she sat cross-legged on her bed. She looked up as Buffy closed the door. "That was quick. I half expected you and Angelus to be gone all night."

Buffy shot Kathy a withering glare. "Angelus is none of your business. Especially not what we do with each other." Buffy sat down on her own bed. "Oh and if you're smart you'll stay away from him." Buffy warned grudgingly, the thought of Angelus torturing Kathy somewhat appealing.

"I'm not moving in on your territory Buffy, geez." Kathy grumbled closing her book with a snap.

"Right." Buffy said sarcastically digging out the padlock she had bought earlier that day, and walked over to her wardrobe. "Just like you didn't destroy my sweater." Buffy said accusingly as she clicked the padlock in place and jostling it slightly just to make sure it was secure.

"It wouldn't kill you to be a little nice, you know." Kathy said as she closed Buffy's window, before retreating back to her own bed, and retrieving her floss, she broke off a piece and started to floss. Buffy walked over to her bed and opened the window before sitting down on her bed again.

Kathy glared at her. "I'm cold." She complained.

"Well, I'm hot. Deal with it." Buffy snapped.

"Do you know what your problem is, Buffy." Kathy said condescendingly.

Buffy gave her a 'duh' look. "You?"

Kathy rolled her eyes. "Hardly. Your problem is you're spoiled. Maybe the world revolved around you where you used to live, but its share time now."

"Share time, huh?" Buffy muttered aggregatedly. "Fine! I'll show you share time." Buffy got up and went to the fridge and opened the door, and picked out the 'Kathy' labelled carton of milk opening it she put it to her lips and tipped it up drinking it, some of it spilling on her and the floor, seeing as she wasn't used to drinking from a carton. Buffy pulled it away from her lips and put the carton back in the fridge.

Kathy scowled at her. "Great! Look at the mess you've made. Now who's going to clean that up?"

Buffy shrugged. "Not me. I need to get ready to go out." Buffy headed towards her wardrobe. "Oh and I'll 'try' not to wake you." She sneered sarcastically, fully intending to make as much noise as possible upon her return from patrol.

* * *

Willow walked along a hall of her dorm building heading towards her dorm room. "You're worried about her." Oz stated as they walked noting Willow's worried expression.

The red head nodded. "Yeah, both of them. I mean, what kind of demon runs around putting ookie blood dreams into people's heads. Like some kind of nightmare fairy. It's not right."

"Well, I'm against it." Oz told her, making Willow smile.

"And Buffy's completely not being herself." Willow murmured the smile sliding off her face again as she once again ran Buffy's odd behaviour over in her head. "If it wasn't for this English paper I'd be there right now. Um, listening. Doing the girly best friend thing." Willow said as they stopped just outside her door.

"Well, I can do that." Oz offered with a shrug.

"You can?" Willow asked pleasantly surprised.

"Well, I'm not saying we'll braid each others hair, probably, but I can hand with her. Watch for signs she's going over the edge."

"You're the best." Willow exclaimed sincerely grateful that someone she trusted would be out watching Buffy. "Oh, she's probably out patrolling by now. Check around the science centre. If you need me," Willow opened her dorm room door, and winced as she heard music and laughter from the rowdy party going on in her dorm. She quickly closed it again with a sigh. "At the library." She said firmly turning and walking back the way they had came.

Oz watched her go for a moment, before following after her, heading for the door. When outside headed towards the science centre on a well lighted path, a group of three people passed him two boys and a girl. He felt a tug on his senses and his wolf snarled keenly inside him. Oz looked over at his shoulder to see that the girl of the group was also looking back at him. After a moment they both turned away from each other, and continue to walk on.

In the bushes three figures in camouflage crept along carrying weapons as they stalked through the night trying to identify what was setting their gadgets off.

* * *

Buffy walked with Oz along a darkened path. "… So then Kathy's like, it's share time. And I'm like, oh yeah? Share this!" Buffy punched the air violently doing her best to vent her growing frustration with herself and with Kathy.

"So," Oz said calmly not giving away even a hint of the worry he felt for his petite blond friend. "Either you hit her, or you did your wacky mime routine for her."

"Well, I didn't do either, actually." Buffy admitted with a frown, the image of what it would have looked like if she had ran through her mind making her lips twitch upward for a moment. "But she deserves it, don't you think?"

"Nobody deserves a mime, Buffy." Oz said in all seriousness.

"Hmm, Kathy does." Buffy said darkly. "She deserves to be locked in an invisible box and blown away by an imaginary wind and… and…" Buffy stuttered trying to thick of something suitable.

"Forced to wear a binding unitard?" Oz suggested.

"Yeah, the itchy kind. It's perfect." Buffy agreed with a nod.

"Just here to help." Oz monotoned.

"Which I appreciate." Buffy said sincerely, before turning curious eyes on him. "But you've never come on routine patrol with me before, Oz. So, what's the deal?"

Oz shrugged, not thinking it was a good idea to tell her the truth, he quickly thought up a lie. "Seemed more interesting than homework."

"As long as it's an elective. I can handle myself alone, you know."

Oz held up his hands. "Not in question."

"Good." Buffy muttered. "So then, I go to the refrigerator, right?" Buffy said continuing on with her recount of her last encounter with Kathy. "And the label Queen has managed to put…"

"Just a thought, Buffy," Oz said interrupting. "But do you think all this ranting is scaring away potential demons?" Oz asked not really caring to hear anymore, and he came to a stop as Buffy did.

"You're right. Ooh!" Buffy exclaimed with a dark scowl. "She's even affecting my work, now. She's the titanic. She's a crawling black cancer." Buffy swung her foot up and around, slamming it down an a bench that was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, breaking the wood of the bench into, rending it useless. "She's… other really bad things." Buffy concluded not able to think of anymore specific things at that very moment.

Oz looked at the busted bench. "On the plus side you've killed the bench, which was looking shifty."

Buffy turned serious hazel eyes on him. "This isn't funny, Oz." She turned away from him facing the path. "Something has to be done." She muttered determinedly. _'But what?'_ Buffy thought.

Oz watched after her for a moment feeling more worried. "Agreed." He told her not wanting to raise her ire anymore than it was, placation was the key to calming on the brink of crazy Slayers.

* * *

Buffy sat at her desk in her dorm one of her books open as she attempted to study. She heard a click, and she looked over at Kathy to see that she was sitting on her clipping her toenails. Buffy narrowed her eyes as Kathy put the nail clipper up against another toenail, and the sound if the two metal pieces coming together sounded in her ears like a resounding clank, just designed to irate and annoy. To help block out the noise so that she could concentrate on her books Buffy began tapping the end of her pencil against her book.

Kathy looked up sharply her eyes on Buffy's pencil and the annoying loud 'boom' of every tap the pencil made against the paper. Throwing down her nail clipper Kathy walked over to her portable stereo and turned it on, and pressed play. Immediately Cher's 'Believe' filled the room again. Buffy tapped her pencil harder in anger, at her roommates rudeness. Couldn't Kathy see that she was trying to study? Buffy looked down surprised as her pencil broke under the strength she was putting behind her angry tapping. Dropping the tip of the pencil onto her desk Buffy grabbed her earmuffs from the desk and put them on, frowning darkly as the muffs only blocked out the sound of the music only slightly.

Kathy walked over to the fridge opening the door she took out one of her boiled eggs, before closing the fridge up again she walked over to her desk and began rolling it across the wood breaking the shell. Buffy narrowed her eyes on the shell as it rolled the word Kathy cracking as the shell broke. After a moment Kathy stopped rolling the egg and began peeling the shell. Buffy took off her earmuffs and threw them down on the desk. "I'm going to bed." Buffy growled annoyed. Getting up from her desk chair she stalked over to her bed, as Kathy watched. Pulling back the covers Buffy slipped into the single bed and settled down under the sheets pulling the covers over herself once again.

* * *

Buffy's eyes flew open the moment Kathy closed the door behind her, heading towards the bathroom. Scrambling out of her bed Buffy went over to her box of zip-lock baggies. Opening the box quickly she took one out, before walking over to the end of Kathy's bed examining the floor. Buffy smiled triumphantly as she saw the toenails lying on the floor picking them up, Buffy walked over to her desk and placed them on the wood. Grabbing her ruler she measured each and every toenail, writing down the size of each one. Slipping the toenails into the baggie Buffy closed her notebook, and turned quickly, not sure how much time she had left before Kathy returned.

Walking over to her bag Buffy opened the bottom pocket and slipped the baggie in there before closing it up again. With a satisfied smile Buffy slipped back into her bed and closed her eyes this time allowing herself to slip into sleep.

* * *

The orange skinned demon held Buffy down again painting symbols on her belly, the scorpion on her bare skin under the drawn symbols. The demon looked up at her and opened her mouth and once again drew the light gossamer substance out of her mouth and into its own. Buffy opened her eyes with a jerk, blinking as the sun poured through the windows of the room. "Oh, jeez." Kathy moaned tiredly, drawing Buffy's attention. Kathy glared over at the petite blond it was all her fault that she was this tired. Buffy returned the glare full force.

Kathy rolled her eyes and got up out of her bed grabbing her toiletries Kathy stalked out of the dorm once again heading for the bathroom. Buffy shot up immediately out of bed giving a large stretch. She felt so much better this morning, nothing was as cloudy and as troubled as it had been the previous day. Buffy stretched her fingers up to the ceiling as she stood on her toes for a moment stretch out the muscles that had laid dormant for the night. She couldn't even remember why she had felt so conflicted in the first place. It was all so easy, not complicated at all.

Buffy turned her attention to her bag. Walking over to it she opened the bottom pocket and pulled out the baggie. Walking over to her desk she once again measured each and every toenail. Finishing Buffy looked up with a triumphant smile. Glancing up as she heard Kathy at the door, Buffy quickly swept the toenails back into the baggie and placed them in the bottom pocket of her bag zipping it up just as Kathy opened the door, and walked in. Their eyes met and they glared at each other.

* * *

Later that day in the middle of the afternoon Kathy talked to Willow in a hallway books in their arms. "I do what I can," Kathy told the red head. "But Buffy's difficult. She's secretive, for one thing, she comes in at all hours of the night, she leaves her gum all over the place." She complained.

"I-it sounds rough." Willow said sympathetically. "But don't you want to be talking to Buffy about this?" She asked confused as to why she was hearing the girls problems with Buffy, it wasn't like she shared best friend status with the black haired girl, not like she did with Buffy. Didn't this girl know the rules of best friends?

Buffy entered the hall and glanced over to see Kathy and Willow together talking. Her eyes narrowed.

"I would," Kathy lied. "But she is so touchy about all kinds of weird stuff. I mean sometimes I get the feeling that she is not quite normal. You know?" Kathy said as Buffy stood on the other side of the hall watching them intently.

"Well, normal is relative, right?" Willow asked nervously, this was getting into dangerous territory. She glanced over, her stare followed by Kathy, to see Buffy at the other end of the hall staring intently at them.

Kathy turned back to Willow. "Later, ok?" She said before walking off.

Willow watched nervously as Buffy turned away and walked on down the hall heading towards the door, she had been going for before. Willow hurriedly followed after her. Only to reach the door to find that she had done the disappearing thing that Angel had been so good at. Willow bit her lower lip worriedly as she scanned down the steps trying to spot Buffy, but it was useless. The blond was nowhere in sight. Willow frowned how did you lose someone in broad daylight? Willow turned away feeling horrible, it felt like she had just broken one of the cardinal best friend rules! But she hadn't, had she? They were only saying hello, after all… but then there was that whole Kathy spewing her venom thing, but-but it's not like she knew anyone else to spew to, but why did it have to be her? Willow thought as she turned back to the school needing to get to her last class of the day.

* * *

Buffy walked in the direction of Angelus' mansion. She didn't have any more classes that day and she couldn't wait a second longer to see the tall dark handsome vampire. It had been hard enough sitting through classes, but she knew that she needed to if she missed a class she feared that she'd fall behind and wouldn't be able to catch up. Her back was slung over one of her shoulders the toenail clips still safely in the bottom pocket of her bag. She'd show them to Giles… later, much later. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about those dreams she'd been having of Angelus, and the unfulfilled ach that they had left in her each time, seeing as Kathy had always managed to wake her just before the really good part. Something she was sure that the demon that was her roommate did gleefully just waiting for the right moment to wake to leave her aching and unfulfilled.

It was a feeling that hadn't really left her since the last dream she had, had. Her core clench at the oddest moments as it remembered whispered pleasure. For the life of her she couldn't understand why she had felt so hesitant to fuck Angelus before now. It felt so good, why should she continue to deny herself? She liked him so, what had been her problem? Buffy shook her head, she couldn't be bothered thinking about it anymore, what did it matter what had been holding her back before, whatever it had been it was gone now, and she ached for him so! To feel him stretching and filling her, like she had been so denied in her dream.

Buffy frowned darkly, but if he thought he could torment her body for long hours on end, like he had in her first dream, he was sadly mistaken. She wanted, needed a fast hard fuck… well maybe not so fast… but she definitely need to feel him inside her, not just teasing her entrance with his thick, long, hardness. Buffy shivered and quickened her pass, the faster she got there, the faster she could satisfy her needs, and then, then she could concentrate on killing Kathy! Buffy smirked. _'oh yes, today was a good day.'_ The petite blond thought as she turned onto Crawford Street. She could see Angelus' mansion now, sitting right at the top of the hill.

* * *

Angelus entered his bedroom in the mansion, closing the door behind him. His fingers moving to the buttons of his silk shirt, undoing them, he froze after the second button as he heard his bedroom door open, and the scent of vanilla, Buffy, and her arousal wafted into the room. The warm tingling he got in his belly whenever Buffy was close confirming the scent reaching his nose, but to be certain he spun around on his heel to see that Buffy was indeed standing by the once again closed door of his room. "Buff?" Angelus asked surprised, as Buffy sauntered towards him, toeing off her shoes as she went, dropping her bag to the floor when she stood in front of him. Angelus collected himself and graced her with his half smile. "So, to what do I owe this unexpected…"

Buffy bit lower lip as she took in the sexy half smirk, her knees feeling weak. Raising her arms she shoved him backwards and onto the bed, cutting Angelus off midsentence. "No more talking." Buffy ordered not interested in what he had to say. Angelus looked up at her surprised from his new position on his bed, but didn't have time to even ponder doing anything else as Buffy followed him down hers knees on either side of his hips, and her hands planted on the mattress by his shoulders, holding her up so that she could loom over him. Angelus only had time to meet her lust darkened hazel eyes, before her lips were on his own. Kissing him with a fierce passion she had never shown him, without his prompting. Angelus returned the kiss, as Buffy's hands moved from the bed to his chest, her hands fisting in his silk shirt ripping away the material impatiently sending the mostly undone buttons flying across the room. Buffy broke her lips away from his and moved down to his chest kissing the pale newly exposed skin, her tongue circling his nipple before she scrapped it with her teeth, before closing her mouth around the hard bud, swirling her tongue around it.

Angelus gasped surprised at the suddenness of this situation. "Not that I'm not liking the change in attitude, lover. But why the sudden about face?"

Buffy looked up from her attentions, her thumbs running over his nipples as she bit her lower lip as she smiled sexily at him. "Want, take, have." Buffy said simply. Her hands running down his chest. "I want you," She breathed huskily, nipping at the curve of his jaw. "I take you," She purred breathily, her hand sliding over his leather covered crotch feeling the hardening length there. "I have you." She murmured lowly as she grasped it the best she could through the leather of his pants.

Angelus groaned out a growl as he felt the heat of her hand around his hardening cock. He wasn't sure were this confident Buffy had come from, but he liked where this was going. "Well, then kitten. Wouldn't ye be wearing to many clothes for this to work at its best?" Angelus asked seductively his brogue slipping into his speech as he looked up at her lusty eyes, that had darkened to a deep jade now.

Buffy felt herself clench in desire as his brogue caressed her ears, looming over his face again, she dipped down a kiss him again, before pulling back, a sexy smile once again curving her lips as she pulled away from him, sitting on him as she did so, his erection pressing against her heated core through the material of his pants. Angelus watched lust filling him as she moved her arms, her fingers going to the hem of her shirt pulling it up slowly, torturously baring her golden skin to his own lust darkened gaze. Finally Buffy pulled the shirt over her head and she tossed it carelessly to the side where it landed on the floor, leaving her only in her white lacy bra, her hard nipple easily seen through the flimsy lace.

Angelus shot up into a sitting position his hands gripping her sides to keep her steady, before curving around her back, as his mouth fastened hungrily over one lace covered breast. Buffy let out a pleasure filled sigh, her head tilting back as she felt his tongue and teeth working at her nipple through the lace. She clasped his head in her hands holding him to her. She let out an involuntary whine as Angelus left her breast for a moment, as he shifted to the neglected one. Unwrapping an arm from around her used his fingers to push down the now soaked lace that was blocking him properly seeing and tasting her mounds. Buffy arched into his talented mouth as he sucked her breast almost completely into his mouth, his teeth grazing her aching nipple, before soothing it with his tongue. Angelus used his thumb and for finger to tease the breast of the neglected nipple, rolling it between his fingers, and pinching it with bruising pressure that made Buffy cry out in need as it sent a shocking pulse through her core.

Angelus kissed up from her breasts nibbling up her collar bone. Buffy moaned, but pushed him back, forcing him to lie back on the bed, she didn't want sensual torture right now. She wanted to feel him inside her. She followed him down her hand propping her up as she loomed over him her breasts still holding down the lacy cups of her bra. Angelus reached for them cupping them in his hands, before his fingers went to the little clasp in the front, freeing the small piece of plastic from its prison. Buffy slipped the straps down her shoulders and tossed her bra aside, where it landed on the lamp on the bedside table. "Enough foreplay." Buffy breathed as she kissed him again, her tongue sliding into mouth exploring the cool depths of his mouth.

Angelus rolled them over settling himself on top of her, wanting-needing her to know who the dom was. "Well then, lover. I think these need to come off." He rumbled tracing the waist of her jeans with a finger, as Buffy pushed the silk shirt down his shoulders.

"Well," Buffy murmured biting one of his nipples. "Who's stopping you?" She asked as her own hands fell to his leather pants, her fingers beginning to work the leather belt. Angelus chuckled and kissed her possessively, his fingers effortlessly flipping open the button, and pulling down the zipper to her fly just as Buffy managed to get the belt undone. Buffy undid the snaps as she arched her hips off the bed so that Angelus could slip her jeans off her.

Angelus tossed her jeans to the side with a growl, as the scent of her arousal rose in the air, the intoxicating scent no longer guarded by the material of her jeans. Buffy began jerking the leather down his hips in an inexperienced motion. Something she glad gave up for running her hands over his chest when Angelus silently took over, effortlessly sliding the leather off his hips and down his legs in a smooth motion. He threw them to the floor where they landed with a metallic thud as the metal on the belt hit the concrete. Buffy was about to pull down her drenched panties, when Angelus' hands returned to her, brushing her hands aside. Buffy pouted, but relented her hands coming to rest on his hips. Angelus fingered the sides of the flimsy material looking down at her. He ran his finger along the inside of her panties until he reached her mound and the wetness of her juices covered his lone exploratory finger. "So wet for me already… and we've barely gotten started." He murmured through a lusty growl, pushing aside the material of her panties to run his finger over her slit.

Buffy shivered and moaned softly. "'Cause I need you. Need you inside me." Buffy panted, her fingers running along the underside of his shaft.

"Is that so?" Angelus rumbled kissing her, as he let the tip of his cock slide against her entrance enticingly.

Buffy gasped and wrapped her legs around his waist, trying to urge him inside her. "Y-yes. N-need you."

"Good!" Angelus growled against her lips, as he brought his lips to hers in a searing kiss, before he thrust forward, seating himself inside her tight wet heat. Angelus shuddered as he still inside her. Her walls clasping around him needily, her thighs tightening around his hips. Buffy cried out as she felt him thrust up into her, arching her head back at the ecstasy of finally feeling him deep inside her filling the aching emptiness that had consumed her during her dreams.

Buffy thrust her hips against his frustrated by his lack of movement. Angelus growled down at her, as he began moving inside her with deep steady thrusts, feeling that he once again had control over his traitorous cock. Buffy clutched at him, feverously kissing any bare skin she could lay her lips on. Her nails dug into his back, and she arched up against him with a silent exclamation as she felt the taunt wire in her belly grow more needy, wanting more than the steady controlled pace Angelus was setting inside. With a strong movement Buffy rolled them over so that she was sitting on top of him, his cock still deep inside her. Her hands braced on his chest, and she was reminded of her dream.

With a wicked smile Buffy contracted her muscles around him, and beneath her Angelus growled, the sound vibrating through her making her moan. Buffy lifted herself up, before sliding back down setting a quicker, far needier pace then Angelus had. Angelus watched her for a few moments mesmerized by the image she presented, as she bounced up and down on his cock. Her lips parted as she panted in need, her breasts heaving and bouncing with her every movement, her eyes hooded and darkened with lust. With a growl Angelus rolled them back over on hand buried in her hair, the other holding one of her thighs as her thrust into her powerfully, making Buffy cry out in pleasure as his cock butted against the mouth of her womb, his downward thrust hitting a spot inside her that she hadn't known existed until that moment. Something that made the pleasure she had experienced at his hands before seem pale in comparison.

Angelus growled his balls tightening as Buffy's sheath contracted around him as she called out her pleasure in keening cries. Her pleasure filling his every sense. Buffy's eyes snapped open, and she screamed, as the most powerful wave of pleasure took over her senses sending her diving over the edge into a blinding orgasm. Angelus growled as her tight sheath spasmed around him uncontrollably, her Slayer muscles squeezing him unbearably tight, forcing him over the edge into his own orgasm, as he continued to thrust into her riding out his pleasure, before collapsing on her in a boneless heap, breathing just as hard as she was, her petite body covered in a sheen of sweat.

Angelus licked at the scar on her neck tasting her sweat and her golden skin, before rolling off her to the side. Buffy smiled lazily as she floated finally feeling the pleasant afterglow that had been denied her in her dreams. Angelus turned his gaze on her, as she stretched her arms over her head languidly, and his gaze took in her golden form, her rosy pink nipples still hard heaving up and down with her panted breathes, down her toned stomach, and the patch of dark golden curls that rested at the apex of her thighs. Angelus felt his cock stirring and he grinned as he looked back up her body to her face taking in the lazy satisfied smile that played along her lips, before his gaze drifted down to her breasts. Things had been hurried at best, just like their previous encounters, no real time spared for exploring… he hadn't really wanted to on the other occasions, but now…

Angelus turned on his side one of his hands falling to one of her splayed golden thighs, whilst his kissed the curve of her breast, before flicking his tongue over the still peaked nipple, making it tighten further as pleasure flared once again in the petite blonds body, making her stir and open her eyes. She looked down at Angelus playing with her breast his hand caressing and squeezing her thigh, making her core pulse with pleasure. Buffy sighed and pushed him off, night had fallen, and she had things she needed to deal with. Angelus growled lowly and captured her, curving his hand around her waist pulling her up against him, causing her to gasp as his now fully erect cock pocked against her ass. Angelus kissed her neck, resisting the urge to allow his face to shift and sink down into the delicate flesh of her neck, as her scar stared up at him. "No need to rush off." He murmured. "Vampires and slaying can wait." His hand slid up to cup her breast teasing the nipple, making Buffy gasp and her eyes flutter closed for a long moment. "I can guarantee you'll have a much better time here with me." He rubbed himself against her erotically, tempting her to stay.

Buffy opened her eyes. "Sorry can't. I have a roommate to kill." She said seriously, shocking Angelus to his core, which allowed her to throw his arm off her without trouble and slip from the bed. Angelus watched her with a confused frown on his face as Buffy pulled on her panties and began searching for her bra, before finding it on the lamp.

"So, you're going to kill your roommate?" Angelus asked as Buffy hooked the clasp in her bra.

"Yep." Buffy said without hesitation as she pulled on her pants, and Angelus silently slipped from the bed to stand behind Buffy as she bent down picking up the shirt she had tossed aside and sliding it on. Buffy walked over to her shoes. "Any particular reason…" Buffy spoke as she turned to face him, only to be cut off by Angelus' fist flying into her face knocking her out cold.

Angelus looked at her unconscious form as she lay sprawled on the flaw. "Sorry lover. But as much as I'd love to see you kill someone. I meant it when I said I'd protect you even from yourself." Angelus glanced around his room his eyes landing on a chair walking over to it he grabbed it and walked it back over to Buffy.

* * *

Buffy came to with a groan, blinking her eyes open, just Angelus finished securing the ropes that bound her wrists to the back of the chair. "Angelus?" Buffy questioned confused as Angelus stepped in front of her still naked as the day he was born. She tried to move her arms from the uncomfortable position behind her back, and the rope grazed uncomfortably against her skin. "What's going on?" Buffy demanded to know as she pulled against the slip knots that tied her hands.

Angelus looked into her confused hazel eyes and was surprised by what he saw there. "Jesus… you're soulless." Angelus muttered leaning closer to her to get a better look at the emptiness that had taken the place of her soul in its absence. No wonder she had been acting differently, Angelus ran a hand through his hair and turned away, walking towards his pants.

"I am not!" Buffy cried, not having a clue what he was talking about.

"Then why is your roommate bothering you enough to make you decide to kill her?" Angelus questioned as he pulled on his pants doing up the snaps.

"She's evil!" Buffy growled jerking at her bonds. "I kill evil things. Simple math!"

"I grant you she's overly perky, but that doesn't make her evil." Angelus sighed as he walked over to his dark green silk shirt.

Buffy frowned as she tried to follow him with her eyes as he walked behind her chair. "What would it matter to you, if I killed someone…"

Angelus paused in the middle of shrugging on his shirt, before with a burst of preternatural speed he stood in front of her chair, his hands resting on the arms. "I meant it when I said that I would protect you; even from yourself lover. And when your all soulful again I'd rather not have to listen to you whine and brood over having killed a human being."

"Great! Good thing she's not human. She evil! A demon… Angelus check my bag, in the bottom pocket."

Angelus sighed and walked over to her bag deciding to humour her, doing up the buttons to his shirt as he walked. Picking up the bag he opened the bottom pocket that Buffy had mentioned and pulled out the baggie she had left in there. "See, see!" Buffy crowed pulling at the ropes binding her wrist, wincing as the slip knots tightened.

"Yes, toenail clippings." Angelus said sarcastically, turning to face her.

Buffy shook her head exasperatedly. "No, not just toenail clippings… evil toenail clippings. I took them off the floor last night when Kathy went to the bathroom thinking I was asleep. I measured them before I went to bed, and when I woke up in the morning. And they'd grown! That's a demon thing… as in evil, as in Buffy needs to slay it!"

Angelus looked closer at the toenails not at all convinced, they looked human to him, and… he glanced over at Buffy. He wasn't exactly how truthful Buffy was being, soulless people weren't known for their honesty, and Buffy… had had a thing against her roommate since before the afore mentioned toenail clippings. Angelus sighed and tossed the baggie onto his bed. "Angelus untie me!" Buffy demanded.

Angelus tucked his shirt into his pants, before fastening his belt. "No." He said calmly.

Buffy jerked against her bindings again. "Why not?" She growled.

Angelus walked around her so that she could look at him again. "Because, being soulless isn't a natural human state Buff. So until I get to the bottom of this, you are staying right there, tied to my chair," Angelus paused and grinned down at her. "Or I suppose I could move you to the bed if you'd prefer."

Buffy saw an opening and took it. "Maybe I would?" She purred, allowing lust to shine through her eyes.

Angelus took a step forward once again resting his hands on the arms of the chair, he dipped down and kissed her. Buffy responded enthusiastically. After a moment Angelus pulled away a smirk on his lips. "Nice try, lover."

Buffy felt anger curl in her belly, but she didn't let it show on her face, as she pouted up at him. "Come on, Angelus. Let me go." Buffy pleaded breathily, arching up the short distance between them catching his lips with hers, as she brought up one of her still bare feet tracing it up his leg gently she brought it up to his crotch rubbing the soul enticingly over the hardening bulge she could feel inside the leather pants.

Angelus growled and pulled back from her lips, grabbing hold of her leg he forced it back down to the ground. "Now, what have I told you about sexual persuasion, Buff?"

Buffy looked up at him innocently. "Use it only in times of desperate need?" She quipped.

"No, no Buff." Angelus taunted her tapping her nose gently. "It was don't tease a man and expect to walk scot-free, at least not with me anyway."

"Then, I guess you better untie me and teach me again." Buffy breathed.

"Oh a lesson is definitely in order Buff, don't you worry your pretty little head about that. But as for untying you?" Angelus grinned at her wickedly. "That won't be necessary." He informed her making Buffy scowl up at him again. Angelus grabbed the hem of her shirt and Buffy raised her eyebrows at him as he raised it up. With an effortless motion he brought it up over Buffy's head so that the material wouldn't get in his way.

"You're gonna stretch it." Buffy muttered. "Untie me, and this could be so much more comfortable." Buffy purred enticingly.

Angelus ran a hand down the curve of her cleavage just above the cup of her lacy bra. "I don't know about you, Buff. But I'm quite comfortable." Angelus countered easily as his fingers dropped down with the curve of her cleavage to take hold of the catch that was holding her bra closed at the front. "Gotta love this invention, huh, lover." Angelus murmured as he unclasped the bra, letting it fall away from her breast. "So quick, and easy to get in and out of. Unlike corsets, all ties and laces."

"You'd know all about that wouldn't you?" Buffy muttered jealousy curling in her. Angelus' only answer was to give her his sexy half smile, whilst his hands cupped and massaged her breasts pebbling her nipples back into diamond hard little peeks, before taking one into his mouth suckling lustily, as his fingers continued to manipulate her other nipple.

Buffy arched into his touch with a soft lusty cry her core pulsing to life after only the first touch, her skin still sensitive. "Aah!" Buffy keened throwing her head back, her legs slipping farther apart on instinct. Angelus smiled against her skin, he could scent her lust rising, feel the temperature of her body soaring, as she strained towards him, as best she could with the bonds limiting her mobility. He switched breasts grazing his teeth over her other nipple as his fingers began teasing the still slippery wet one, that was flushed red and swallow from his attentions. Buffy moaned helplessly her core pulsing with need, clenching around empty nothingness, as she was brought closer and closer to the unspoken promise of pleasure.

Angelus pulled back when she was on the brink and Buffy let out a frustrated cry, opening her eyes to make sure that she wasn't in one of her sexually frustrating dreams. Seeing Angelus' room instead of her dorm room, Buffy turned her eyes on the smirking demon that was now stroking her legs through the jeans. She scowled at him. Angelus giggled at her. "Now, now Buff, don't be like that. You know that this is a lesson." Angelus slid his hands further up stopping at her hips before sliding to her waist and to the button on her jeans. Buffy breathed heavily as she watched him undo the button and pull down her fly, revealing her panties. He placed his hands at her hips again, his finger closing around her jeans and pulled. Buffy bit her lip, as she raised her hips to help him slide the material down her legs to pool at her ankles. Angelus allowed himself to rest on his knees, as he peeled down her panties so that they rested at her ankles just above her jeans. Angelus rested his hands on the insides of her upper thighs, whilst his arms rested on her legs keeping her legs splayed apart for him, his dark eyes resting on her exposed pussy.

Buffy looked down at him watching him watching her, her core still pulsing hungrily. Her breath hitched as he leaned towards her, one of his hands moving so that he could part the folds of her pussy revealing her to him entirely. Buffy let out a strangled cry as his cool tongue lapped up her slit, to teasingly brush her clit. Buffy threw her head back again as Angelus developed an intoxicating rhythm that had her climbing the heights towards orgasm all over again. His tongue swirling up and around her clit, but careful not to touch it as he swept back down, thrusting his tongue into her passage, where she clenched almost painfully to try and keep him there, then withdrawing he'd lick back up to her clit this time giving it the most teasing of caresses, before swirling up and around again. Starting the process all over again.

Angelus felt her clench around his tongue again, and he gave a mocking thrust, making the petite woman tied to his chair cry out her whole body jerking as he withdrew and careful licked up to her clit tapping it gently; torturously, before swirling his tongue up and around it careful not to touch it again, no matter how she tried to wriggle to force him otherwise. When he sensed that any other touch of his tongue would send her over the edge he pulled back much to Buffy's dismay, who sounded her distress in a keening cry of loss. Angelus pulled back, using his arms to keep her legs apart til the moment had passed, not allowing her to cum like her body so desperately wanted as it trembled in want of that touch that would build it up again until she fell over the edge.

Angelus stood and hooked her bra back in place, before reaching over Buffy's head and unhooking her shirt from behind her neck, letting it fall rumpled back into place, before squatting back down and pulling her panties back up her legs, when she didn't raise her hips for him this time he looked up at her meeting her unhappy mutinous, but lusty gaze. "Now lover. I can either leave you here as you are bare to the world… or you can let me dress you again, which is it?" Buffy glared at him, but raised her hips for him and he slid her panties back in place, making Buffy gasp slightly as the wet material settled in place teasing her sensitive skin, but not enough to achieve the orgasm that had been so close only minutes before. Efficiently Angelus pulled up her jeans and fastened them.

Looking at her for a moment, he turned away walking over to his wardrobe and pulling out his leather duster he shrugged it on and made to move towards the door. "Angelus," Her voice stopped him, and he looked over at her. "Please?" Drawn to her, Angelus walked back over to her, standing in front of her, he brushed her hair out of her face, as he lowered one hand to the crouch of her jeans, and Buffy arched her hips up towards him again silently begging for his touch. Angelus massaged her clit firmly through the jeans, after a few touches Buffy cried out in ecstasy as she finally fell over the edge.

Angelus smiled down at her affectionately. His passionate little mate, Angelus scowled who had somehow managed to lose her soul… something he should have picked up the moment she had entered his room, but in his defence, he'd been more than a little distracted. Angelus kissed her forehead, before walking over to the bed picking up the baggie with Kathy's toenail clippings, before turning and heading for the door. Buffy felt the kiss and jerked out of her afterglow as she saw him heading for the door. "Angelus! Wait! Untie me!" Buffy shouted after him as she once again jerked on her bonds trying to get loss. "Angelus! Damn it! Untie me!" Buffy cried as he opened his door, he gave her a last look, and a small wave of his hand, before he walked out of the room. "Angelus!" Buffy jerked again at her bonds and once again they didn't give to her strength. "Damn it!" She muttered her expression determined as she began trying to manipulate the now painfully tied slip knots.

* * *

Angelus walked quickly through the night heading towards Giles place. It irritated him that he was going to the former Watcher for help concerning his mate, but at this moment the one person who might know what was going on with her was Giles not himself, but he swore silently to himself that would change soon, very soon if he had any say in it. Angelus quickly came to Giles apartment door, and knocked. He heard Giles moving towards the door, and then the sharp intake of breath when the older man peeked through the peep hole in the door. When the door didn't open Angelus scowled. "Come on, Ripper. This isn't about me, or whatever torture session I threatened you with. Buffy has no soul… pretty much close to know soul." At that the door flew open and Giles stood pointing a crossbow at him, his expression distrustful and angry.

"What did you do to her?" Giles asked accusingly.

"Me? Nothing, but," Angelus held up the baggie with Kathy's toenail clippings. "Buffy seems to think Kathy is the embodiment of evil and needs slaying. Claims that her toenail clippings grew after being cut."

Giles frowned looking at the toenail clippings, then at Angelus. "Why should I believe you?"

Angelus gave him an exasperated look. "Why in the hell would I make up such a ridiculous lie? It's not like a I actually like dropping in on you, now invite me in, so that we can get to the bottom of this, who knows what damage is being done to Buffy right now… I've never met a human that wasn't in possession of their soul. I mean I've met many that acted like they had none, but never any without one at all.

Giles frown turned worried as he considered for a long moment. "Where is she?" He asked.

"Safely tied up in a chair in my mansion." Angelus said with a shrug his own scowl darkening his face, as Giles turned without another word to him, leaving the door open as he walked away from the door, without saying a word, let alone one of invitation. Angelus sighed impatiently.

Giles picked up the old corded phone from the bench and put it up against his ear. "Willow are you still there?" Giles listened for a moment. "Yes, good. I need you to call Xander and Oz, have them go to the mansion… Buffy's there… she's not quite herself…

* * *

A short while later Giles warily stepped out of the safety of his apartment his crossbow still in hand. he grabbed the baggie from Angelus and looked at the toenails for a moment, before beginning to walk away. "I don't have what I need here. I'll have to go to the magic shop to get supplies. I-I know a spell that'll ah, force a possessing demon to reveal itself."

Angelus frowned, at that. The thought of a demon possessing Buffy's body not at all pleasing him… and how come he hadn't known that a demon of that kind of abilities had come into his town? It seemed he'd have to have a serious talk with Willy about sending him important information.

* * *

Buffy looked up as she heard hurried footsteps enter the mansion. "Buffy?" She heard the familiar voices of Xander and Oz calling for her. Buffy smiled. _'Perfect!'_ "Guys! I'm up here!" She called to them, and a couple moments later the two rushed through the open door. "Oh thank God! I was beginning to think I'd be stuck here… um could you guys, Buffy jerked pointedly.

Xander and Oz looked at each other warily. "Uh, sorry Buff, but we were given strict orders to not… untie you." Xander said nervously, being careful to not examine the reason why Buffy had been caught and tied in what looked to be Angelus' bedroom.

"What?" Buffy asked sharply. "By who?" She asked with a dark scowl.

Xander gulped. "Well, by Willow who heard it from Giles, who heard it from…" Xander paused. "You know it's a long boring story." Buffy's scowl darkened and she glared from one of her friends to the other. Xander gulped.

"You guys, this-this is ridiculous! How long have we known each other? How long have we been fighting together, how can you not trust my judgement when I say Kathy is an evil demon!"

"Buffy," Xander tried placatingly. "This hurts me more than it hurts you."

Buffy gave him a long look, the look in her eyes something Xander had never really come across before, not on her face at least. "Not you, but it will." Buffy promised softly.

"Don't say that." Xander said sadly, before pausing his eyes widening as he realized that she really, really could make that happen. "Oh, PLEASE don't say that."

* * *

Kathy heard an instant knock on her dorm room door, opening it she smiled at Willow. "Can I come in?" Willow asked nervously, looking about the room anxiously, wondering how she was going to pull this off.

"Sure." Kathy said stepping aside to let Willow walk in, closing the door after her. "It's so nice of you to drop in on me… you haven't seen Buffy have you?"

Willow shook her head. "No, I haven't not exactly. But I have been thinking, it might be a good idea for you and Buffy to give each other some apart time. In fact, you might want to be, uh, apart before she gets back." Willow said nervously. _'Yeah, just in case she escapes and tries to kill you.' _

Kathy scowled. "What do you mean? I should leave the room?" Kathy crossed her arms over her chest. "Why should I go?"

"I-it's not fair, I know." Willow said placating, Buffy's roommate nervously, her heart pounding.

"You bet it is not fair, having to live with someone who's obviously troubled. Someone who so clearly needs to be in a home, not in a dorm." Kathy said, setting up the stage for Buffy's soon permanent disappearance.

"I don't know about that." Willow murmured. "Uh, Buffy's going through something yes, but…"

Kathy cut her off. "I wouldn't put it past her to drop out, or take off, or something. Do something horrible to herself."

Willow raised her brows. "Herself?" Willow asked surprised.

"Or worse. She's capable of it, you know? You can see it in those shifty little eyes of hers. One of these days she might even push somebody too far."

"Ah, right." Willow said, backing towards the door, not wanting to stay and listen to the girl talk about her girl best friend like that. "Ah, listen I was just dropping by to see if Buffy was in, but, ah clearly she's ah… not… so… I'll just go, and… keep trying to find her."

"Ok." Kathy said perkily, following her to the door. "It was super sweet of you to drop by and see me."

"Right, that's me full of super sweet goodness." Willow said nervously as she walked out the door and down the hall.

* * *

"Hello? FM-1, loves songs, she is evil!" Buffy said for what felt like the hundredth time.

"We want to Buff, it's just…" Xander began hesitantly.

"Shh, don't engage." Oz told him nervously.

Buffy glowered at them both before beginning to struggled against the bonds angrily. "I don't know about you, but I'm beginning to worry that Angelus, might not have tightened those enough." Xander said nervously.

"Then we better go over there and check 'em." Oz said looking at Buffy as she stopped struggling having heard him.

Xander laughed nervously until he realized that Oz was serious. "Oh, dear God!" Xander muttered gulping as he looked at Buffy and the suddenly calm watchful expression on her face. "Avoid the legs." Xander told Oz as they started forward each moving to opposite sides of the chair, Buffy cocked her head. "Avoid the legs." He muttered again like a mantra. Once close enough they leaned over to check her ropes, before they had time to see anything Buffy brought up her arms and knocked their heads together, knocking them unconscious. "Tight knots," Buffy said to their unconscious forms as she held up the rope that was still knotted but frayed at the opposite end. "Old rope." She quipped as she tossed the rope onto Xander's body.

* * *

Buffy entered her dorm room closing the door behind her with a soft click, as she dropped her backpack on the floor. "Kathy." Buffy said darkly, as Kathy lay on her stomach reading her paperback book.

"Buffy." Kathy responded.

"I think we need to talk, don't you?" Buffy asked her voice full of menace.

Kathy got up closing her book and walked over to the petite blond. "Absolutely. Let's talk."

Buffy looked down at their feet and noticed that she was by the edge of the throw rug. With a deliberate movement of her foot she kicked up the corner, before looking up at Kathy. "Oops, look what I did."

Kathy backhanded Buffy across the face, surprised when she didn't fly back from the blow, but she didn't let it show. "Huh, look what I did."

Buffy snarled low in her throat and grabbed Kathy's head, who grabbed hers in return. They stumbled around the room as they struggled, after a short moment Buffy's hands yanked down as the human mask Kathy wore broke under her Slayer strength. Buffy looked down at the torn face she held in her hands, for a second, before looking up at Kathy recognising the orange skin and glowing green eyes immediately. "I knew it!" Buffy exclaimed with a wide ecstatic smile on her face. Kathy growled and rushed her throwing Buffy back.

* * *

In the deepest woods on the other side of the campus the two orange skinned cloaked demons continued to chant in their home tongue as they stood in front of the fire. The ground opened up with a spray of dirt as the vortex between their dimension and this one opened and Taparrich their leader emerged from the portal. He stood much taller than his subjects, and his robes were in a different style. "Where is she?" He asked the two of them immediately.

* * *

Kathy forced Buffy to the ground straddling the petite blond, her hand around her throat. "Quit it!" Kathy growled.

"I knew it! I knew you were one of those demon things." Buffy crowed.

"Oh why don't you just stuff it and let me finish my ritual." Kathy growled.

"Ritual?" Buffy asked with a frown.

* * *

In the magic shop in a study off to the side that the owner had let them use. Giles sat reading from a book as Angelus paced in front of the table Giles was sitting at as he listened. "The ritual of Mok'tagar, a race of trans-dimensional demons, involves the forced ingestion of animal blood while the victim slumbers." Giles read looking up as Angelus growled. "Buffy's nightmares…"

* * *

"… Were real." Buffy muttered, as she came to the realization, that her dreams had been real, and she made an 'eww' face.

"I'm sorry, ok?" Kathy said almost whiny. "I left my dimension to go to college and they sent these guys after me." She explained as she continued to hold Buffy down.

* * *

Giles continued to read his fingers twitching against the book itching to go for the crossbow that lay beside him in easy reach on the table as Angelus continued to growl. "But while Mok'tager can assume many forms and guises, including human," Angelus' head shot up. "They can always be recognized by others of their kind due to the lack of a soul." Giles looked over at the baggie containing the toenail clippings.

Angelus paused in his pacing. "So Kathy's taking Buffy's soul." He growled.

"Hang on, we can't be certain it's Kathy." Giles exclaimed alarmed.

Angelus shrugged. "I don't need anymore convincing Ripper. I'm going to go get my Slayer." He said leaving without letting Giles get in another word.

* * *

"…So I'm borrowing yours." Kathy finished her explanation.

"Without even asking." Buffy said with a 'how typical tone.'

"Tonight, when they come looking for me, they'll take the one without a soul."

"Well, thank God I won't have to watch you floss anymore." Buffy said with relief

"And I won't have to live with a slob!" Kathy screamed. Buffy bit down on the hand that was holding her down, forcing Kathy to let up enough for Buffy to get the leverage she needed to throw her off. Buffy threw Kathy against her bed, before kicking her in the midsection, sending Kathy to her knees.

Both girls scrambled to their feet and faced each other. Buffy charged Kathy only to have the demon throw her onto the bed. Buffy used her momentum to bounce off the bed and back onto her feet. She kicked Kathy in the face, before following up with a sharp kick to the demons side, venting all her rage and frustration she felt for the demon that was her roommate. Kathy threw a punch which Buffy neatly avoided.

Buffy threw a punch at Kathy's stomach but the demon blocked the blow. With a snarl Kathy grabbed Buffy by the head and threw her into the petite blonds closet door, the force shattering the wood door. "It's share time, Buffy." Kathy sing-songed, before with a growl she charged over to the fallen form of The Slayer who had yet to get up. Kathy grabbed Buffy by the feet and dragged her out of her closet.

"Fine," Buffy snarled. "Let's started with my sweater." She growled, as she sat up swinging her arms over Kathy's head her ketchup ruined light blue sweater in her hands, she drew it tightly around Kathy's throat. Kathy snarled struggling against the sweater as she reached up, grabbing it she pulled with force, easily breaking the sweater.

Buffy let out an 'Oh!' as she fell back on the ground. Kathy picked her up off the ground and threw her back on floor. Buffy moved to get up, but Kathy kicked her harshly in the face, sending her back to the ground.

* * *

Xander woke up with a groan moving to stand to his feet, his small movements waking Oz, who also had a pounding headache, just on the opposite temple to Xander. "Oow…" Xander whined. "Why couldn't Angelus use chains like any other self respecting demon?"

Willow rushed in. "Guys, I just saw Kathy and she's acting…" Willow took in their states and gasped. "Oh my God, are you ok?" She asked running over to Oz to help him to his feet.

"Yeah," Oz started just as Angelus entered the room.

The dark demon's eyes went immediately to the empty chair. "Where's Buffy."

Xander shot him a look. "Well, she decided she wanted to take the train to pixie land where she would be considered a giant for the first time in her life…" Xander trailed off as Angelus growled at him lowly.

Oz put a hand to his head. "Not really sure, all I remember is going to check her bonds then pain…"

"We avoided her legs and everything." Xander muttered.

"She's got a good lead on us." Oz told Angelus, not wanting any trouble.

Angelus looked down at the rope that had fallen off Xander and onto the floor. The frayed ends where the rope had given way to her strength allowing her to slip free. "Damn it. I knew I should have used the damn shackles." Angelus snarled with a mental curse, before turning to go, before he paused. "You guys better get out of here, I don't want you hanging around when I get back. Giles should be arriving at his apartment soon, I'd imagine." With that said Angelus left walking out the door following Buffy's scent.

Willow, Xander, and Oz shared a look, before heading out the door themselves figuring that Giles would be the best place to find out what was going on. "We better us the first phone we see and call Kathy, tell her to get out of the apartment.

* * *

On a street not too far from Crawford street Willow dialled the number and put the phone to her ear listening intently to the ringing, whispering 'pick up, pick up, pick up' under her breath.

* * *

Kathy hit Buffy repeatedly across the face with the telephone handset. "All you had to do was," She hit Buffy with the phone again. "write," Another hit. "Down," Another hit. "Your," Another hit. "Calls!" Kathy growled as she hit Buffy with the phone again.

* * *

Willow hung up, and shook her head at the boys crowded around the payphone. "No answer." She told them despondently.

"Come on. Let's get to the G-mans. He'll know what to do. The G-man always has a plan." Xander quipped trying to lighten the mood, as the three of them ran for Giles apartment.

* * *

Willow, Xander and Oz ran into Giles apartment only to find it empty. "Damn." Xander grunted. "All that running and he's not even…" Giles rushed into the apartment. "I retract my half spoken statement."

"Toenails!" Giles cried, receiving troubled looks from the three puffed you adults in his apartment, and he showed them the baggie, receiving looks of understanding from the three of them. "Buffy was right." He gave the baggie to Willow, who took it, looking at the toenails curiously trying to spot any difference. "Kathy's toenails not only keep growing after they've been cut, they actually regenerate after they've been destroyed."

"And that's a demon thing?" Willow asked still intently examining the clippings in the baggie.

"Oh, unequivocally yes. So… where is Buffy?" Giles asked surprised to find all three in his apartment.

"Well it's a funny story actually. Its starts with never trust an evil demon to tie up a Slayer with brand new rope and ends with Oz, and my heads being knocked together by one pissed off puppy of a Slayer."

"Oh dear, we have even less time than I feared." Giles muttered hurrying into the kitchen and began gathering the items he needed for the spell. "I've looked up all known regenerating demons. Only one species practices the ritual Buffy's been seeing in her sleep. It's used to steal the soul from a human body." Giles told them, having not done so before, for fear of worrying them unnecessarily just in case Angelus had been wrong in his assumption and it had been as he had first assumed and just Buffy fighting to adjust to living with someone in a small space.

"W-wait," Xander exclaimed. "Are you saying that Buffy's been doing the Linda Blair on us because Kathy's been sucking her soul?" He asked, as Giles came back out of the kitchen.

Giles set the items down on the table. "I believe so, yes." Giles said turning to find Xander in his way. "Excuse me please." He dragged Xander off the chair the boy had sunk done on in exhaustion and moved it out of the way.

"Why that soul sucking fiendish fiend." Xander cried quippingly, but with no less outrage.

"So Buffy was right all along." Willow muttered feeling terrible before shaking her head minutely. "Later on, big remorse." She said firmly, receiving all round nods.

Giles picked up the book he had been reading earlier in the magic shop. "Now, I've found a spell that should reverse the soul transfer procedure immediately." Giles explained handing the book over to the red head. "Willow and I will perform it at once."

Oz nodded. "Leaving Xander and me to help Buffy in the flesh." He said before rushing out.

Xander hesitated to find Giles and Willow staring at him. "You mean you want me to go to Buffy, in the knowledge that Angelus is probably…" Xander took in their looks and sucked in a breath for courage. "I'm gone." He fairly squeaked, before rushing out after Oz.

Willow and Giles turned their attention to the book. Giles looking at the pages as Willow held it up for him to read, as he began lighting the candles he had brought out with him. "Hear me, elders of the upper reaches… elders of the lower reaches… elders of the dry land… elders of the river flats."

* * *

Kathy threw Buffy against her desk rocking it and her carefully sharpened pencils fell to the floor. "Ah- hah!" She cried stomping on the pencils breaking them under her shoe.

Kathy growled in anger and tried to backhand Buffy, but she blocked. Buffy grabbed her head, and swung her around, before delivering a sharp uppercut that sent Kathy flying back into her own bookshelves breaking them, and scattering the items that she had placed there. Kathy rushed at Buffy and threw the petite blond at the door to their dorm.

Outside the dorm the number that once read 214, before Buffy hit the door dislodging the 2 making it swing down to hang on the wall upside down. A student that lived in the dorm right next door, leant out of his door with a dark scowl. "Do you mind? People are trying to study!" He grumbled before slamming his own door in aggravation.

Kathy ran Buffy across the room smashing her into the window on a side wall. Breaking the window forcing Buffy to lie across the sill. Kathy grabbed her.

* * *

"Ancients I beseech you. The soul, abstracted. Let it revert to its true seat." Giles chanted. The power of the magic they were invoking building as Giles continued to chant.

* * *

Kathy pulled Buffy up and off the sill. "The windows open. Happy?"

"Ecstatic." Buffy quipped just as Kathy threw the petite blond over her bed to send her to the floor leaning against Buffy's own bed.

Kathy jumped over her bed to land over Buffy. "Open up!" Kathy growled grabbing Buffy's chin trying to pull her mouth open. "Let me finish." She cried as she managed to pull Buffy mouth open.

* * *

"Let it be finished. Let the unnatural vessel be emptied, let the essence be returned to its original host." Giles finished, the power of the spell diminishing around them as it soared off. Moving quickly to find the person whose soul had been abstracted by the Mok'tager demon.

* * *

Kathy opened her own mouth in expectation of the last of Buffy's soul to enter her being, but the second her mouth opened the gossamer light passed from Kathy's mouth and into Buffy's. Whilst this was happening Angelus threw open the door, his eyes widening as he saw the light enter Buffy's mouth. "How'd you do…" Kathy began only to have Buffy backhand her, sending her flying back onto her bed the momentum forcing her to roll over and off to land on the floor in a heap.

"I have un-mooching friends. You friend moocher!"

"Don't forget soul stealer." Angelus piped in drawing the distracted girl's attention to him.

Buffy scowled at him as Kathy stood up, her gaze fixed on him too. "You better not be here to tie me to a chair again!" Buffy grumbled, her soul still settling in place after most if it having been gone for so long.

Angelus held up his hands in a mean no harm gesture. "No, no. I'm just here to enjoy the show." _'And intervene if you need it…'_ Angelus looked at Buffy's opponent. _'Probably not.'_ He stepped through the room as the two girls watched him as he settled on Buffy's bed, lying on it, his back propped up by the wall, and he folded his hands behind his head. "Whilst your having a brief intermission, mind telling me if you've got any blo… beer." Angelus amended.

Buffy rolled her eyes and Kathy began charging her just as a bright flash of light filled the room for a moment making Angelus snarl and jump off from the bed his face shifting as he moved to stand by Buffy as Taparrich materialized inside the room, having finally pinpointed his daughter. Kathy stopped looking at him with petulant eyes. "There you are!" Toparrich growled in his home tongue. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in young lady?"

"I'm not going back!" Kathy shouted definitely, as Angelus and Buffy looked between them confusion as to what was being said written on their faces.

"Don't take that tone with me." Toparrich said reprovingly.

""I'm 3000 years old!" Kathy cried stomping her foot. "When are you going to stop treating me like I'm 900?" She whined like a teenager of only 900 years in their community.

"Enough. You're coming home." Toparrich decreed. He waved his arm and a vortex opened in the floor, Buffy saw it and was about to move out of the way when Angelus pulled her back with him, pressing her back into his chest firmly.

Kathy screamed in indignation as she fell through the vortex. Not sparing the insignificant beings that remained in the room Toparrich stepped through his vortex. Buffy and Angelus watched as the vortex closed behind the tall orange skinned demon. They stood in silence for a moment, before Angelus let his face shift back into that of a human. "So, what do you think they were saying?"

Buffy continued to look at the floor, where the vortex had once been. "I don't know, but from the foot-stompage and whiny teenager voice. I'd say it was a conversation between father and daughter." Angelus nodded his agreement, just as Xander and Oz came to stand in the door.

The two looked around the room looking for Kathy, but when they couldn't find her their eyes went to Buffy who was still pressed into Angelus' chest. Uncomfortably she stepped away from him. "So," Xander said. "What happened to the soul-sucking fiendish fiend?" Xander asked.

Buffy turned her eyes to the ground at her feet. "Ah, she's been sucked back into the fiendish soul-sucking land of the soul- sucking fiends."

"Oh." Xander more than a little relieved that he had mixed the action.

"Sounds like a nice place." Oz quipped in his usual monotone, his eyes drifting to the patch of floor that Buffy was still staring at.

* * *

The next day in Buffy, and now Willow's dorm. Willow's boxes with her stuff in it were placed around the room. The red head was hanging a 'Dingoes Ate My Baby' poster up where Kathy's Cher poster used to be. Buffy held a saucer in her hands swallowing the last bit of the first half of her sandwich. "How's that?" Willow asked.

"Uh-uh, a little to the left… there. Perfect." Buffy beamed. "I'm so glad you're here Will." She set her saucer with the second half of her sandwich on the dresser. "I can already feel all that bad Kathy-karma just draining away." Buffy murmured with a relaxed sigh, before starting to straightening up the boxes and books.

"About that Kathy thing?" Willow said guiltily. "I'm sorry I doubted you." Willow pulled out some a few things from the box and put them in one of the dresser drawers that were now hers.

"You're completely forgiven. I mean, you had a reason to doubt. Except for the soul-sucking thing I bet Kathy was pretty regular, as far as roomies go." Buffy assured Willow.

"That's a pretty big except." Willow mumbled.

"I guess," Buffy shrugged with a nonchalant shrug that she didn't quiet feel as worms niggled in her belly. "I'm just glad that it was Kathy's demon-y ways making me no-fun Buffy. I've always that I was pretty easy going, you know? It's not like I have the big issues. You know, burn incense, or…"

Willow picked up the other half of her sandwich. "Are you going to finish this?" The red head asked, biting into it without awaiting an answer. Buffy's eyes narrowed as she watched Willow bite into her sandwich annoyance filling her for a moment, before she gave herself a mental shake, dislodging the annoyance… some little things were still bothering her every now and then, but that was normal after getting your soul sucked and then put back into your body… all without a by your leave… right?

* * *

Later that day in the early afternoon, Buffy was making her way to Angelus' mansion, having finished up helping Willow move in, and with no classes, she felt that now was the time that she should put her nagging worries to bed. Buffy hesitated outside the side of the mansion entrance, before taking a deep breath and pulling the curtain out of her way for the moment it too for her to enter. As the curtain fell closed behind her Angelus stepped out of the shadows, having sensed her approached.

"A-Angelus." Buffy murmured fiddling with the hem of her shirt nervously.

"Lover." Angelus returned with a small nod.

Buffy winced at the term, but didn't vehemently deny it like she normally did, she wasn't here to get into a fight with him. "I-I came to ah, well… apologize actually." Buffy stated nervously.

Angelus raised a brow at her. "Oh?"

"Yeah uh, um… for, uh…" Buffy searched her mind for a word. "Jumping you… yesterday… I wasn't… ah… well, it a weird time to say the, ah, least." She mumbled not quiet being able to meet his eyes.

Angelus stepped towards her, the blush staining her chest calling to him. "No, don't apologize for that." He liked his lips and smiled at her wickedly, making her knees feel weak. "I'm rather fond of the memories."

Buffy's flushed deepened, and Angelus couldn't help dipping down, running his nose along her cheek scenting her blood so close to the surface, he flicked his tongue out to taste the skin, the small practically unnoticeable flow of the surging blood in her cheek pulsing against his tongue making him shiver. Buffy took a step back. "And… also… to thank you…" Buffy noted the look he gave her, and she blanched. "Not for that! For tying me up… when you thought I was going to kill an innocent person… it meant… a lot."

Angelus took a step towards her again and cupped her cheek in his hand. "How many times do I have to tell you that I'll protect you, before it sinks in lover?" He took another step towards her invading her personal space, and Buffy tilted her head back to look him in the face. "I want you, and know that I know that… I'm not letting you go, or allowing anything to take you from me."

Buffy brushed his hand away biting her bottom lip and shaking her head as she stepped away from him once again. "Stop saying that Angelus." Buffy whispered her voice shaky. "I can't trust you." Buffy said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself more than him. "I don't know what your motives are for acting like you are. Like you suddenly care for more than just saving my death for yourself…" Buffy looked up at him definitely, wishing that she felt as definite as she the words that were coming from her lips. "But I'm not going to let you win, damn it! I'm not! I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of seeing me broken!" Buffy cried, before turning and dashing out the curtain, not sure how long her defiant words would last before she crumpled in front of him, her defensive walls shattered to a million tiny pieces… beyond repair.

She hadn't meant to thank him, but it had slipped out after her apology. The apology that she had gone to the mansion to give. She'd attacked him out of nowhere, belying everything she had told him just nights before. Buffy sighed why was her life so difficult? She had to distance herself from Angelus, or she'd never survive this battle of wills that was raging between them… intact.

* * *

Angelus watched the curtain Buffy had disappeared from, a small half smile on his lips, silently praising his heightened senses. His petite blond little mate was wavering in her resolve to distrust him. Last night's efforts had not gone in vain. It had sickened him to go to the former Watcher in regards to his mate. He shouldn't have to. He should be the one in the know about his mate, not the replacement father-figure in his mates life.

But that would slowly change, he was more than positive about it now, what with Buffy's wavering determination to shut him out of her heart. Angelus' half smile widened to a grin. Progress may be slow going, but he was indeed making progress and that, that was what mattered! Angelus turned from the curtain and whistled a jaunty tune as he wandered deeper into his mansion. Things were starting to fall into place.

**A/N:** Well there's chapter 2, and don't worry everyone who wants to see Parker suffer… next chapter (evil laugh) oh all the fun I am going to have writing that scene, ah… I've been wanting to write the Parker/Angelus torture scene for a very long time… and now it's finally around the corner! Yay, oh and of course Spikes entrance next chappie too :D

I hope you all enjoyed the tones of smut I managed to work into this chapter :D I hope it more than makes up for the lack of Buffy/Angelus smut recently. :D And yay Angelus' plans for Buffy are moving forward inch by inch! Yes he does have a plan people, he does. (More evil laughter… cough… cough… splutter… I might just leave evil laughter to professionals now, lol.)

Anyway let me know what you think, it always helps musie keep up her enthusiasm levels :D


	3. Chapter 3 in the harsh light of day

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of the characters mentioned in the cannon.

**A/N:** A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter and have been patiently and even not so patiently for this chapter to be posted. I'm sorry it took so long after I promised it like two weekends ago, but musie hit me with a new story so I was working on that one as well as some of you know.

Anyway smut warning in this chapter, and don't worry it is most definitely not Buffy/Parker (blah). Please enjoy the chapter :p

**CHAPTER 3**

**In The Harsh Light Of Day**

Buffy sighed as she sat in The Bronze at a table with Willow as they waited for Oz's band to wrap up for the night. In the round security mirror she could see Parker playing pool with a mate of his. The boy had been hanging around her, or trying to hang around her for the past week. A week she had spent dodging Angelus where she could. She wanted to keep her distance until she felt more confident that her walls were at least strong enough told against the charm act he'd been using lately. She'd also been dodging Parker the best she could, whilst not missing her classes, Angelus' words on him being a player ringing in her ears. She didn't know if it was true or not, but the possibility had squelched any and all desire she'd ever had to even attempt to be friends with him.

Something that her red headed friend seemed awfully reluctant to accept, Buffy noted a little tiredly as the red head shot another conservative look at Parker. "Hey look. Parker's here. You're not looking?" Willow said stating the obvious. "He looks really cute in green." She added enticingly.

"Teal." Buffy corrected. "He's reflected in the mirror."

Willow glanced at the security mirror, hope filling her for her blond friend. "You know when a guy spends a week trying to get your attention, you are allowed to look at him directly."

"Not all week." Buffy muttered. "Besides I'm not interested."

Willow looked at Buffy put out. "Since when has tall, dark and handsome, not been your type?"

Before Buffy could answer Oz walked over distracting Willow's attention from Buffy's romantic life. "Hey. You guys ready to load up and go?" Oz asked coming to stand next to Willow.

"Almost. We're looking at Parker… me in a purely best friend role." Willow assured Oz as he looked over a Parker as he continued to play pool.

"Correction, you are looking at Parker. I'm looking at tall dark and evil." Buffy muttered jealousy eating at her as she saw him talking to a girl maybe a little older than her with wavy dark brown locks and a purely infatuated expression on her face as Angelus flashed her his charming half smile. Buffy scowled darkly.

"Huh?" Willow questioned scanning the mirror. "I don't see him?"

"No reflection, Will." Buffy said as she glanced over at her friend.

Willow flushed. "Oh, right." Turning her eyes from the mirror to look to the side of the stage Oz had just been playing on.

Buffy took on last gulp of her mocha, before sliding off her stool. "You guys start packing up… I'm gonna…" Buffy grabbed her coat off the back of the chair, and shrugged it on.

"Right." Willow said with a nod, as Buffy turned away. The petite blond paused to when she didn't see Angelus in the club, scanning the floor quickly, Buffy made her way to the door that led out to the side alley of The Bronze. Opening it and walking out Buffy scanned the darkness, her eyes catching something that made her insides freeze.

Buffy walked towards the dead end heading towards a pile of full garbage bags. Her eyes landed on the woman she had seen with Angelus her eyes glassy as she stared up at the night sky blankly. "Oh come on… what happened to playing with your victim delighting in their fear… giving me time to save them, hello? That's how it works!" Buffy muttered to the night air, glaring around at it as if by doing so she was turning her anger filled eyes on Angelus. Buffy's eyes dropped to the body of the woman again, relief making itself known to her in the wake of departing jealousy… she'd just been a meal… her clothes didn't even seem ruffled… Buffy shook her head disgusted with herself. "It's just wrong how relieved I'm feeling right now." Buffy murmured to herself, her eyes taking in the small amount of blood that was left around the wound on her neck, a wound that if healed would match the scar she bore perfectly.

Buffy looked at the woman sadly. "I'm sorry." She told her sincerely. She wasn't sure what she was apologizing for more. For not being able to kill the evil vampire that had killed her, for not getting out here in time to save her, for feeling relieved that she had only been a meal to the handsome evil vampire that unknowingly owned her heart. Buffy gave the dead woman a last look, before turning and quickly making her way from the alley, knowing that she couldn't be associated with a crime scene. It caused too much suspicion if you were at the scene of a crime especially of the same type too many times.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

On the roof of The Bronze were Angelus had jumped to when the door opened to the alley. He watched as his Slayer searched the night a slight breeze uplifting her hair for a moment. He watched her, his expression blank as she stood in front of the woman that had served as his meal, but inside; his insides clenched and his demon stirred restlessly, both of them anxious as to what her reaction would be at once again being confronted with the leftovers of his meal. "Oh come on," He heard Buffy exclaim in irritation, and he frowned slightly. "What happened to playing with your victim delighting in their fear… giving me time to save them, hello? That's how it works!"

Angelus smiled down at her, wishing for a moment that Buffy was facing the other way so that he could see the consternation that was no doubt darkening her face in a way that he was sure was inarguably cute. Angelus scowled and shook his head at himself, it still annoyed him on some level of his being that he found everything about his petite blond irresistible, not one expression of emotion that could mar her beauty, not even the slightly odd shape of her nose, something that would have annoyed him to no end, in any other woman. Angelus mentally shook himself it didn't matter. She was his mate he was allowed to feel that way towards his mate. "Couldn't have you ruining my meal, lover." Angelus murmured, as Buffy glared around at the night, before her eyes settled once again on the remains of his meal.

"It's just wrong how relieved I'm feeling right now." Angelus raised a brow, once again wishing he could see her face so he could read the emotions there. Taking in deep unnecessary breathes Angelus drew her scent into his nose, and closed his eyes for a moment as he delved deeper. Searching for the hint that would tell him what she was feeling. To his surprise she did feel relieved, the prickly agitated scent of jealousy fading quickly as the emotion was swept aside in her relief. Angelus' eyes lit up with great humour at the discovery his gut unknotting as the fear of her reaction being negative passed. "Don't worry lover. You're the only real blip on my radar." Angelus assured her quietly even though he knew that he was speaking to softly for her to hear him. Angelus shivered in remembered passion as he recalled their most recent interaction. That little interlude, had given him a tantalizing idea of just what things could be like when things had been fixed between them the large gaping chasm separating them a mere unimportant mark in their pasts.

Angelus' thoughts cooled as Buffy's next words drifted up to him. "I'm sorry." He frowned what did she have to be sorry for? He'd been the one to kill the damn girl! But even so he could scent sincere remorse dampening her natural scent under the calming scent of the vanilla body lotion his petite blond used. Angelus watched as Buffy moved down the alley heading towards the open street. He had been wary of taking a victim right under his Slayer's nose, but it had needed to be done, it showed her unequivocally that he wasn't going to change who he was, just as much as she wasn't going to stop being The Slayer. He may protect her from anything or anyone, even if that meant pitching in to put down the occasional apocalypse, but never ever would he switch from the thrill of the chase to… Angelus grimaced to baggie-d blood animal or human. He was never going to be the soul and the faster she learned that the better.

Angelus jumped down off the roof and walked into the night keeping a safe distance between him and Buffy… for now.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy paused as she heard footsteps running up behind her, whirling around her fists up, she hesitated, before lowering her fists as she recognized Parker running towards her. "Hey Buffy."

"Hi." Buffy replied straightening up completely from her automatic defensive stance resignedly.

"I'm sorry if I startled you." Parker apologized with a sweet smile.

Buffy looked away from him turning to continue on the way she had been heading. "No, it's alright. I guess I'm just a little jumpy… it being so late in all."

"Yeah, I figured it's why I ran out after you when your friends told me you'd left. I didn't think you should walk alone. It's not real safe around here."

"Oh, that's ah, sweet Parker." Buffy murmured trying to sound grateful instead of annoyed that Willow had sent the boy after her. It wasn't that she was totally against his company in a full-stop, end and be all kind of way, but with Angelus lurking around, just him walking her to her door could end up with Parker owning his own signed and sealed death warrant, to be delivered personally by a vampire Parker didn't want to meet again.

"Hey, it's no trouble. It's part of a guy's duty to walk a girl to her door."

Buffy gave him a look. "Yeah, after a date."

Parker shrugged and gave her a warm practiced smile. "So we're skipping a part. I always found the walking the girl home at the end of the evening the most satisfying part of the dating experience anyway." He explained in a way that would have had Buffy smiling warmly if Angelus words about the boy now walking beside her weren't ringing in her ears. Making her wary and pay more attention to the off feeling he gave her, like everything that came out of his mouth was in some-way insincere… practised. _'He's a player… and by all the scents intermingling with his… a successful one.'_ Buffy frowned slightly to herself, her gaze on the cement path. Would she have recognized, or even been so wary of Parker if Angelus hadn't told her what he believed the boy to be. _'If it's one thing a player recognizes, it's another player.'_ God those words had hurt, it wasn't that she didn't accept that Angel… well Liam had been a philanderer, but hearing the words so plainly spoken had hurt, not to mention made the green eyed monster commonly known as jealousy clutch at her heart.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow, Oz and Devon walked out of the back door of The Bronze behind the stage, where Oz's car was parked. Each of them carrying something that needed to be packed away. "That was like the best set ever. We'll do great in LA. We're gonna have them glued to their seats." Devon said excitedly.

"Uh, Devon. Aren't they supposed to dance?" Willow asked.

"Well, we can glue them to the dance floor." Oz said in his usual monotone, as he placed the amp he was carrying into the van, as Devon packed in the box full of cords and wires that they needed to set up their equipment.

"I didn't mean with real glue." Devon told Oz as they turned and walked back towards The Bronze. "You got that right?"

Willow slid the case she was carrying into the van. "Willow, hi." A familiar female voice called from behind the red head.

Willow turned around to face the voice. "Harmony. Hey. I haven't seen you since…"

"Since graduation." Harmony finished. "Big snake, huh?" The long haired ditsy blond said with a small shiver as she remembered how ugly the large snake The Mayor had become had been.

"Yeah." Willow agreed feeling slightly uncomfortable talking to one of the girls that had made her life hell in High School, now that the gushy warm sickness of graduation had passed. "So, how was your summer vacation?" The red head asked politely.

Harmony shrugged. "Well, I was gonna go to France. But I didn't. I was dying to see the stores."

"Yeah, and the museums." Willow murmured her expression slightly dreamy at the thought of stepping inside one of France's museums.

"Museums?" Harmony repeated confused, why on earth, would anyone want to step inside one of those smelly old buildings, how boring.

"Yeah, I heard they have them." Willow said covering her small slip, not wanting to deal with Harmony's taunting. "You know, just a rumour you pick up on the streets." Harmony chuckled and Willow joined in somewhat uncomfortably.

"You were always so funny Willow." Harmony said taking a step closer. "You haven't changed a bit."

"No, you neither." Willow replied with a polite friendly smile.

"Oh," Harmony said with a small smile. "Maybe a little." She shrugged before shifting her face revealing herself as a vampire.

Willow let out a surprised cry, as Harmony lunged for her grabbing her, and jerking her head to the side and biting into her neck. Oz having been coming back out with a mic stand ran over and shoved Harmony off his girlfriend with a growl, brandishing a cross in the couple month old vampiress face, keeping her from attacking. "Back off Harmony." Willow demanded as she put a hand over her open wound, Oz standing in front of her protectively.

Harmony glared at her annoyed and upset by the rough treatment. "Ok, fine. Hide behind your boyfriend. But I have a boyfriend too. And he's gonna be mad that you were mean to me." The blond whined threateningly, before she ran off into the night. Willow and Oz visibly relax as Harmony ran out of sight.

Oz turned to Willow and moved towards her checking her wound with concerned eyes.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"So, uh, hobbies. Interests." Parker asked, trying to break the wall that Buffy had put up between them. "I feel like there's so much I don't know about you. What do you like to do?" He asked with a sincerely interested look on his face.

Buffy shrugged uncomfortably. "Mostly, I hang out. And do… stuff." She hedged, looking down at the path that they were walking along.

"Yeah," Parker nodded, not letting her vagueness get to him. "I was into that for a while." He looked over at her and spotted something that caught his eye. "Hey, what's that?"

"What's what? Buffy asked, she watched warily as Parker reached over and pushed down the collar of her jacket completely revealing the scar in the shape of Angelus' fangs.

"You have a scar." He stated.

Buffy stepped away from his touch self consciously and the collar came back up. "Yeah… right… angry puppy." Buffy explained, mentally wincing at the flimsiness of her explanation. "So, do I get to see any of your scars?" Buffy asked to distract him from the bite mark on her neck.

"Oh, mine are all psychological." Parker said with a mental smirk, he was getting somewhere at long last.

"Please, those are the best kind." Buffy said her eyes going back to the footpath, as they continued to walk along.

"Well, my father died last year." Parker told her, a sad, lost expression fixed on his face.

Buffy stopped midstride and whirled to face him, her face horrified at her tactlessness. "Oh God, Parker, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up, that stuff. Oh, bad, bad Buffy." She babbled.

"No, I'm ok to talk about it now." Parker assured her with a reassuring smile. "And I'm not doing the deep, get sympathy routine. I mean don't you just hate guys that are all 'I'm dark and brooding so give me love?'"

Buffy looked away uncomfortably, her mind immediately going to Angel. "I don't think I've ever met that type." She lied.

Parker led her over to a bench and sat down. Buffy stood for a moment, before cautiously sitting down next to him, making sure there was a gap between them. "I just wanted to say that it was so sad 'cause there was well, a lot of stuff that he didn't finish. It made me think about, you know, living for now."

Buffy nodded, and gave Parker a small smile. "I think about that sometimes. I sort of drowned a couple years ago. But I came back, obviously. But I don't," Buffy paused her smile being replaced by a dubious frown. "I don't put stuff off anymore. Like you were saying."

"That's great." Parker said enthusiastically, as Angelus who had been listening into the conversation from the shadows behind them started moving towards them a dark scowl on his face. "I mean, everybody says they get it. 'Oh, man. Me too, live for today.' But what they really want is a reason to goof off. Not study for finals."

"Also a valid life choice." Buffy said with a nod.

Parker placed his hand lightly on her arm, and smiled at her. "It's cool to finally find someone else who understands."

Buffy shifted away from his touch and looked over across the road. "So, Parker Abrams. When you go to sleep tonight, what are you to regret not doing today?" She asked uncomfortably.

"I'm going to regret… being too nervous to ask you to go the party at Wolfhouse tomorrow night." Parker paused for a moment. "Do you want to go to the party at Wolfhouse with me tomorrow night?"

"Well I, uh actually…" Buffy stuttered, not having expected anything so forward.

"She's going with me." The familiar voice of Angelus sounded, behind them before the petite blond could formulate the rest of her sentence. At the sound of his voice Buffy and Parker looked back to see him walking the last of the distance towards them, he walked around the edge of the bench closet to Buffy and sat down beside her, throwing his arm around, and pulling her up against his side. His dark eyes staring angrily at the boy who had once again been putting the moves on his future mate.

The possessiveness of the action not going unnoticed by Parker as the boy fought the urge to scowl in annoyance, instead Parker threw up his hands in a symbol of 'no harm meant.' "Hey man, I didn't mean to step on any ones toes." He turned his eyes to Buffy. "But it's great that you're going. These parties are always lots of good fun."

Buffy leaned against Angelus' side, fighting the urge to melt into his familiar strength. Her heart beating nervously in her chest, she could feel the anger in the tightness of the muscles in his arm as it lay across her shoulders keeping her small frame securely pinned, despite that however his fingers were caressing her arm over the jacket she was wearing. The motions of his fingers tempting her to relax, but she refused to give into the temptation. "Well, actually I planned…"

"I think you should get on home now, boy. Give me and my girlfriend sometime time." Angelus murmured darkly, cutting Buffy off once again making her scowl at him.

Parker blinked slowly and looked from the pretty petite blond to Angelus. "Well, I was walking Buffy to her dorm."

Angelus' face darkened and his brown eyes were rimmed with amber. "I think I can handle that." He said, his voice deep and rumbling with resonating anger.

Parker nodded. "Ah, right. Of course. I'll look out for you at the party Buffy." He said with a smile, before he stood and began walking away, heading across the street, in a direction that was most definitely not towards the college campus.

Once Parker was out of sight Angelus' arm relaxed about her shoulders and Buffy summoned her willpower, and jerked out from under his arm, standing up with an annoyed huff. "Could you have been anymore he-man-y, and I don't recall agreeing to be your girlfriend!" Buffy muttered annoyed that her own wants had been totally disregarded by the two males.

Angelus shrugged and stood himself. "Well, I could have been, but I figured that, that would be over doing it." Angelus ran the back of a finger down her jaw. "And don't be so pouty. You want the boy to leave you alone, don't you?"

Buffy shifted away from his touch uncomfortably. "Of course I do." She shot him a glare. "I just don't appreciate, having someone talk for me." Buffy turned away from him and started walking along the path again.

Angelus easily fell into step beside her, suffocating the urge to touch her and pull her close to him, as anger and irritate cracked in the air between them as Buffy silently fumed. "So, you're saying that you don't want to go to the party?"

Buffy shot him a look. "I had no plans on going, no."

Angelus smiled down at her. "Oh really? 'Cause I plan on going. It sounds like it has potential."

Buffy frowned over at him. "Potential? You said you didn't like hunting on campus to easy for your tastes." She accused.

Angelus shrugged and couldn't resist capturing a couple of strands of her hair that were blowing across her face in the wind and tucking them back behind her ear. "Sometimes an easy meal, is just what a vamp feels like." Angelus tilted his head to the side. "Think of it like… take away."

Buffy glowered over at him, but the tall dark vampire didn't see it as he walked ahead of her, using his longer stride to his advantage as he walked away from her, disappearing seamlessly into the darkness of the night. Buffy's glower lightened to a small frown, and she lightly ran her fingers of the hair that Angelus had tucked behind her ear. She had this weird feeling that Angelus had just asked her out on a date… in a weird, round-a-bout way. Using her instincts to protect the innocent against her. It wasn't as if she couldn't not go, if she knew Angelus was going to be there snacking on the drunken campus populous. Buffy sighed and she continued on her way towards the college campus and her dorm.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

In Giles apartment Xander stood in front of Giles bookshelves a book in his hand, as Giles stood a little further behind him a book in his hand as he stood in front of one of his other bookshelves. "I am not enjoying this." Xander stated a frown on his face as he looked at the books filed on the shelve trying to determine where this one went.

"Well, shelve them correctly and we can finish." Giles said simply.

"I don't get your crazy system." Xander complained in frustration.

Giles looked over at him in surprise. "System? It's called the alphabet." He muttered, as he grabbed a book, and slid it into its correct place on the shelf.

Xander looked at the shelve he was standing in front of with new eyes, leaning closer to inspect the names of the books. "Huh." He muttered in surprise. "Would you look at that." He exclaimed finally seeing the complicated system for what it really was, just as Anya walked into the room, having followed the sound of their voices. Giles seeing her walked over to her, somewhat surprised to see her, and somewhat worried that she had managed to regain her powers.

"You should lock your door." She told former Watcher.

"Believe me, I'm kicking myself." Giles muttered, breathing a small sigh of relief, fully believing that if she had regained her former powers, she wouldn't have bothered talking about the state of his unlocked door.

Anya shot Giles a look, as Xander walked over surprised to see the former vengeance demon back in town, let alone at Giles' apartment. "Anya? Last time I saw you. You were fleeing in terror. So how'd that work out for you?"

"I need to talk to Xander." Anya told Giles ignoring Xander's question feeling it unimportant. Giles nodded his ok, and Anya glared at him. "Go away." When Giles didn't make any move to leave, she turned away from him and smiled at Xander and grabbed his hand. "Xander come with me." She told him as she led him towards the door.

Xander shot a look over his shoulder at Giles, who just watched them calmly. Conceding defeat Xander allowed Anya to led him out the door, which he closed behind him when he had walked through it. Anya let go of his hand and walked a couple of steps away from him before turning to face him. "Your mother said you were working here." She said in explanation to her appearance in Giles apartment.

"Yeah, I need some money." Xander replied with a shrug.

"Where is our relationship going?" Anya asked bluntly, not wanting to wait any longer to get to the point of her trip over.

"Our what? Our who?" Xander gaped shocked, not having expected that question in the least.

"Relationship. What kind do we have? And what is it progressing toward?" Anya explained matter of factly.

"I… uh… we have a relationship?" Xander asked wondering how he had missed that development.

"Yeah, we went to the prom." Anya said in a 'duh' voice.

"Yeah." Xander nodded. "On our one and only date. Second date called on account of snake, remember? And the whole, you used to be a man killing demon thing. Which to be fair, is as much my issue as it is yours."

"I can't stop thinking about you." Anya admitted. "Sometimes in my dreams, you're all naked." She stepped towards him, as Xander's eyes widened.

"Really." Xander fairly squeaked nervously. "You know, if I'm standing in the checkout line at the Wal-Mart I've had the same one."

"So I can assume a standing Friday night date, and a mutual recognition as Prom night as our dating anniversary." Anya stated hopefully.

"Anya. Slow down there." Xander said firmly. "In fact, come to a screeching halt." He said holding up one of his hands for emphasis. "See these things kind of have to develop on their own." He explained.

"Ok." Anya agreed. "How?"

"I don't know. It just… happens." Xander muttered uncomfortably, not really sure how to explain it to the ex-vengeance demon.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy trudged along corridor to the second floor of Stevenson hall. Her arms wrapped around her waist. As she continued to think over her encounter with Angelus. The way he had held her against him whilst they sat on the bench glaring over at Parker. It had felt good to have his arm around her, too good! She supposed in a way it was a good thing that Angelus had made her mad at him, although now that she thought about it shouldn't she have been madder at him for killing that girl that had been all over him at The Bronze? That was more important than him telling Parker that they were going to the party at Wolfhouse together.

But she just couldn't seem to summon the emotion, vampires fed it was what they did, and out of all the things Angelus could have done, just feeding off her wasn't so bad, considering his penchant for torturing his victims. Buffy sighed and scrubbed a hand down her face, no she always knew Angelus was killing. It hadn't stopped her from loving him as much as she did, or from saving his life. It seemed that in her heart Angelus killing people no longer resonated as deeply in her soul, maybe she was just used to it now, or maybe it was because she knew he could do so much worse than simply bite them. It was quick. Buffy flushed in feminine pleasure as her mind returned to the fact that she couldn't shake the feeling that Angelus in a weird way had asked her out on a date.

It hadn't been romantic, but then Angelus wasn't all that much of a romantic, and it would seemed weird if it had of been. She really shouldn't feel so pleased about it, but she just couldn't seem to help it. She had never really gotten to go out on any real dates with Angel, there hadn't been time, and patrolling wasn't her idea of a real date. Buffy shook her head this was bad, she really, really shouldn't feel this happy about being somewhere with Angelus. Buffy nodded to herself resolutely. She'd go to the party tomorrow night, but not because she thought Angelus had asked her on a date, but to keep an eye on him, and make sure no other vampires crashed the party. Drunken college students were a normal vamps idea of a great chance at enjoying a meal without fear of being noticed, even in amongst a crowd of students.

Buffy came to her door, and went to open it, when she heard the sound of feet running towards her. Turning she saw Willow and Oz running towards her. the red head holding a whitish tissue to her neck. "Hey. Hi." Oz said slightly puffed and a little flustered. "Remember Harmony?" Buffy raised her brows in recognition of the name.

"She's back from her summer vacation. And she's a little bit different." Willow said widening her eyes trying to get her point across.

"Different?" Buffy asked, not understanding.

"Paler, cold, and a sudden penchant for drinking from human throats." Willow explained.

Buffy's eyes went to Willow's neck noticing the bloodstained tissue. "Oh!" She exclaimed. "That kind of different."

Buffy opened the door to her and Willow's dorm room, and let the red head and the musician proceed her into the room. A little while later Willow sat on her bed, Oz beside her as he carefully cleaned the wound, a green bandaid clasped in Willow's hand. She hadn't it to Oz when he reached down for it. Buffy walked over to them. "Harmony, a vampire? She must be dying without a reflection." The petite blond quipped, not able to hide her amusement at the thought of the ditsy blond as a vampire.

"She just made me so mad!" Willow exclaimed, the green bandaid now securely stuck over her wound. She contorted her face to mock the blond vampiress. "'My boyfriends gonna beat you up.'"

Buffy raised her brows at Willow, suddenly concerned, Harmony she couldn't see as a big threat, but an unknown boyfriend could be trouble. "'My boyfriend?'" She asked.

"Well, if you believe her." Willow shrugged. "She always lied about stuff like that." Willow contorted her face again. "'Oh, he goes to another school. You wouldn't know him.'"

"Well, Devon dated her for a while." Oz told them, giving a slight credence to at least one time when Harmony had said that her boyfriend went to another school. "But she was too flaky for him. which, stop and marvel at the concept." Oz and Willow laughed.

Buffy just shook her head, she didn't know Devon all that well so she couldn't really see the funny there, but… Buffy's lips twitched, she could still feel amused over something else. "Guy dating Harmony dead. Must be like, the most tolerant guy in the world." She mused, getting smiles from Oz and Willow as they nodded in agreement.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Harmony descended stairs into a large underground space, the walls made of stone, her shoes making soft noises on the stone floor. She smiled as she saw the familiar shape of her boyfriend dressed in all black, protective head gear hiding his entire head from her view. She walked over to him and placed her hand gently on his back to gain his attention, as to not startle him. "Hi, baby. I'm back." He reached up and pulled his head gear off revealing his platinum blond hair. He looked back and gave Harmony a half smile, not wanting to deal with her whining, which she was sure to do if, he didn't at least acknowledge her.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Spike stood at a table a blueprint spread out of the table top, his minion standing beside him as they went over it. "It's definitely the crypt, right? I'm not keen on tunnelling into someone's septic tank." Spike asked his minion.

"It's the crypt. The radar soundings are clear. The walls are thinnest here at the bottom." The minion assured Spike, as he pointed to a place on the blueprint. "We'll have to tunnel underneath. More work, but I'm sure…"

The minion was cut off as Spike slammed his head down against the table. The minion winced as Spike placed more pressure against his head. "You'd better be more than sure. Cause I'd hate to have to hurt you."

"I swear, I swear!" The minion assured him.

Behind them Harmony walked up to Spike and snuggled up against him wrapping her arms around his waist. "How's my little Blondie bear?" She asked affectionately.

Spike glanced up at the roof briefly asking for patience. "Harm, does this look like a good time?" He said exasperatedly.

Harmony ignored him as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "Are you gonna kill Willow tonight? 'Cause I want you to say, 'This is for messing with my sweet girl.' And then, you know." Harmony mockingly bit Spike's shoulder, and made grizzly growling noises as she mockingly sucked the skin.

Spike threw his minion to the ground in an outward sign of his annoyance with the blond vampiress. He took Harmony by the waist a fixed his annoyed blue eyes on her. "Nobody knows I'm here. And I'm not killing The Slayer's best friend because that would tend to announce my presence." Harmony stared up at him in annoyance, her lower lip pouting out at him. "And we're too bloody close."

"But you almost killed her last year." Harmony frowned up at him. "Suddenly it's a big deal?"

"SOD OFF!" Spike growled his annoyance growing at the reminder, of the last time he had been in Sunnydale, an emotional wreck. "Now go eat something, I've got work to do." Spike muttered turning away from her, his eyes back on the blueprints, as his minion hesitantly joined him.

Harmony stalked over to the boy who was chained up to the side of the large underground space, his chin resting on his chest, sweat clingy to him. Harmony reached out to him, and crinkled her nose in irritation, and turned to Spike. "This one tastes funny." She whined. "Take me out to eat." She demand, she wanted attention, why was it all the guys she went out with never wanted to pay attention to her? Wasn't it the boyfriends job to give there girlfriend affection, and attention and take them out places? Spike never took her out!

"He's perfectly fresh." Spike told her distractedly, not even looking up at her, making Harmony frown.

Harmony turned her eyes back to the boy, before turning her frowning expression back on Spike who still wasn't paying her any mind. "I think I had a math class with him last year and I didn't like him that much then either." She pouted.

"Harm!" Spike growled looking up, but not over at from the blueprint.

"I want to go to a party." Harmony whined unmindful of her boyfriend's rising temper, certain that he would never really hurt her. Spike growled and slammed his fist against the table, making it tremble, but not break. He stormed over to the tall blond grabbing her roughly he slammed her against the wall. Harmony smiled up at him coyly, glad that he was finally paying her some attention. "Oh, right here baby. In front of Bernie?" She asked, indicating the minion with a small flick of her eyes.

Spike smiled at her, his anger fading as fast as it had come. "You'd like that wouldn't you."

Harmony pressed into him. "Maybe I would. After a party." She said firmly.

Spike continued to smile down at her. "Tomorrow night, I'll take you somewhere nice." He promised, he whirled around when he heard mock clapping coming from the entrance Harmony had used to get down into the large underground space. He moved away from her with a frown as Angelus walked into view, looking around the large space.

"I'm not sure whether this is an improvement, from the last place you shacked up in when you here last Spike, or a down grade." Angelus muttered as he stepped further into the space unconcerned by any of the vampires in the room.

Harmony tilted her head. "I remember you. You were there when we were fighting against the big snake on graduation."

Angelus turned his eyes to the tall blond, and gave her a casual glance over. "And as I recall you didn't do much fighting." He turned his eyes back to Spike. "She a bit of a downgrade, isn't she Spikey?" Angelus walked over to the table with the blueprint and looked down at it, tapping it with one of his fingers.

Spike snarled, but not because of the insult to Harmony, like the blond vampiress thought, as she beamed at him for his apparent defence of her.

Spike marched over to his Sire coming to stand by him at the table, as soon as he stopped moving. Angelus grabbed him by the back of the head and slammed it down against the table holding it there as his Childe grunted and struggled to right himself, his attempts failing as Angelus' strength boosted quite a bit by the Slayer blood he had ingested months ago now, easily kept the platinum blond in check. Harmony growled and made to stalk towards them, but Angelus sent her a withering look that kept her in her place. "Now Spikey. I don't know why you're here, but I'll find out, if not from you then along the grapevine. And when I do, I better find that it has absolutely nothing to do with a certain petite blond Slayer we both know, or I'm going to get very," Angelus put more force against Spike's head. "Very cranky." Angelus let him up with a final shove.

Spike growled lowly. "You mean you still haven't finished with her yet? Come on Angelus, man. I know you like taken your time, but going on three years is pushing it even for you ain't it?" He grumbled.

Angelus looked back at him and took him by the throat, and lifted him in the air. "Let me make myself perfectly clear, Spikey. If there's even a whisper that you intend to go after my mate with whatever it is your hoping to find down here," Angelus squeezed his hand around the platinum blonds neck. "I'll have you strung up so fast you'll be dizzy, boy. And you'll soon be in so much pain you'll forget who you are for a very long time. Am I clear." Spike nodded reluctantly, and Angelus dropped him to the ground, before stalking back out and into the waning night.

Spike watched him go for a moment before giving his head a shake. "Bloody hell. Who would have thought the bloody poof would take The Bloody Slayer of all women as his mate!"

Harmony hurried over to him, placing her hands on his arms her expression worried. "Who is that Spikey?"

Spike glanced back at her. "I thought you said you knew him, pet."

Harmony shook his head. I've only seen him around."

"He's my blood Sire, that's who he is." Spike growled getting up, he looked over at the minion who had stepped and stayed out of the way. "Get back over here ya bleeding ponce." He snarled.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus walked back out into the night, heading straight for his mansion. He had cut it very fine as it was. He'd have to hurry to get back there before first light, but he'd needed to have that little talk with his wayward Childe. He had sensed that the boy was back in town late last night, but hadn't found the time to go talk to him. To say that he was surprised that his youngest childe had come back to Sunnydale was an understatement. It was the last thing he had expected, so when he'd realized that he could feel Spike in the town, he'd known that the boy would be up to know good, and knowing the boy as he did, he had a feeling that revenge against his Slayer would be a big part of the reason if not all of it.

Angelus frowned as he recalled the blueprints, his Childe was up to something. Something that he thought he was close to achieving his end goal. And why in the name of the hellmouth was Spike with the blond that had gotten bitten within two seconds instead of Drusilla. Angelus smirked, she'd probably left him again, it was possible that his insane Childe had finally realized that she could do much better than the pathetic poet. Angelus shrugged it wasn't important. What was, was making sure nothing happened to his future mate… but surely Spike wasn't stupid enough to go after her when he knew what she was to him… was he? Angelus frowned the peroxide blond most definitely was.

Angelus paused in his quick stride as he thought of Buffy's reaction should Spike tell her his plans for her, before she was ready to accept them, and he growled in irritation, before hurrying on, determined to beat the sun home.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy lay in her bed staring up at her ceiling as Willow lay in the bed next to her asleep. The red head had been shocked when Buffy had revealed that she was now going to the party in a strictly chaperoning capacity, seeing as Angelus had expressed a his desire to go. The red head had frowned at that, but had perked up when she realized Parker would be there and would at least get to interact with Buffy at the party if nothing else.

Buffy sighed and rolled over on her bed facing away from the red head. It was getting harder and harder to keep her warm mushy feelings for the dark demon locked in the box she had made for them. Buffy drew aimless meaningless patterns on her pillow as she stared blankly at her wardrobe door. She hoped and prayed that Angelus' charm act would end soon, at least when he was the tormentor it was easier to maintain the walls that tenuously guarded her heart against him. The walls she was keeping up by sheer force of will, where constantly trembling with the force of Angelus' charming assault. It was almost enough to make her believe that he really cared about her, but it was impossible! Two years of utter torment and pain on both the physical and mental levels had taught her well, but seemingly not well enough to be able to turn her heart to stone against the charming dark demon! Buffy's hand curled into a fist against her pillow. But she wouldn't give in! She wouldn't!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus sat in a chair in front of a roaring fire glaring at the flames that unnecessarily heated the large room he was in. He glared at the flames like it was the sun that was at this moment irking him so. His mind filled with images of the boy Parker worming his way around Buffy. Was Buffy at this moment sitting next to Parker in the class they just happened to share together? The thought made him growl in jealousy. The little brat should know better than to hang around his mate by now, but it seemed that he was rather thick headed, you'd think after the first time they'd met that the boy would get the picture, but then players weren't exactly ones to give up easily.

They liked the challenge and it didn't matter if the woman was taken if they wanted her. He should know. Nothing had stopped him in the past from getting between a woman's thighs when he desired them, and really players hadn't evolved all that much over the years. They just had fancier gadgets to play with. Angelus frowned if it wasn't for the blasted sunlight he'd be at the college campus keeping an eye on his Slayer, making sure the boy kept well away from her, and that it was known to the whole campus that she belonged to him and him alone. He wasn't one to share his mate with others.

Angelus growled and stood up and began pacing mentally cursing the daylight and the restraints it put on him. If he ever discovered a away for him to move freely in the sun, nothing in the world would be able to stop him from taking it for himself!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy held up a cute sundress in front of her as she looked herself over in the mirror, before shaking her head and tossing it on the bed. The disregarded dress landing on top of another disregarded item of clothing, something that was bound to happen no matter where it had landed on her bed as most of mattress was covered in clothes that had been pulled out of her wardrobe and thrown on the bed. Buffy walked back over to her open wardrobe and looked at the remaining contents, only to find that it was basically empty apart from her shoes… which reminded her she needed to decide which shoes she was going to wear. And of course they'd have to match her outfit.

Buffy paused and shook her head. What was she doing, she wasn't supposed to be treating this like a date! It was a chaperoning mission. It shouldn't make a difference that she was chaperoning Angelus… but it did! It made a big-huge! Difference! Buffy sighed and walked over to Willow's bed and sat down on it surveying all the clothes piled up on her mattress. With a determined sigh Buffy stood back up a moment later and walked back over to her bed. Picking up the abandoned sundress she shook her head at it. It was far to dressy for a frat party, right? Plus if there was trouble, it'd be a pain to fight in!

Buffy nodded that was how she had to look at this. What was the most comfortable to fight in, and if the comfortable clothes just happened to look nice, well then that was just a bonus. Buffy hung up the dress and walked back over to her bed. And picked up a pair of jeans taking in the faded appearance and the small frayage on the side of one leg she shook her head at it too and placed it back in her wardrobe. It was probably a good thing that Willow was in the middle of one of her classes, she didn't think the red head would have understood her need to pour through her wardrobe like she was preparing for date… that wasn't really a date. Buffy frowned, it was starting to feel like a crime to try and look nice for a guy, but when the guy was Angelus… she supposed in a way in the eyes of everyone she was close to… and to a certain extent herself it was a crime.

Buffy sighed and continued to once again sort back through the clothes she had discarded, this time forcing herself to focus on 'comfortable' instead of 'would Angelus like me in this?' In the end Buffy chose a pair of dark blue skinny leg jeans, and light green shirt, and one of her nicer jackets. Buffy smiled to herself as she looked at the clothes laid out on her bed. _'There, I'll be comfortable and more importantly I'll look nice. It is a party after all.'_

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy dodged away as she saw Parker walking across the room she was standing in. Not wanting to be seen by him. She had arrived at the party twenty minutes earlier and had seen him talking to another woman, using the same lines he had used on her the night before, and the truth had really finally sunk in. There was no ifs, buts or maybes about his character anymore. Angelus hadn't been lying to her about him, and right now she didn't think she could be pleasant to the boy. How many broken hearted women had he left behind when he'd finished with them and moved on to his next conquest? Maybe she just felt the faceless women's pain more keenly due to her own severely broken and trampled heart.

Buffy grimaced to herself, yeah a heart that had been broken into tiny jagged pieces by the handsome vampire she was waiting far too impatiently to show up. She had to be ten different types of pathetic to still love him so dearly, and for her heart to still hope that his charm was more than just an act that led to deeper pain and suffering for her. Buffy sighed his words of protecting, and possession, and wanting got far deeper inside her then she felt comfortable with. Buffy moved away from the wall, and walked towards the dancing party goers, not wanting to feel like an out of it chump any longer. "Hey Buffy!" Parker called over to her, having seen her as she peeled herself away from the wall.

Buffy winced and tensed, before turning towards the boy who had made his way over. "Oh, hey… Parker." Buffy muttered less then enthusiastically.

Parker looked around, trying to see the tall dark and menacing form of her boyfriend. "Where's your boyfriend? I thought he was taking you to this thing?"

Buffy shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, well… he ah, he's just running a little late. He'll be here any second now," Buffy said shooting a glance towards the door hoping to see Angelus just appear as if on cue like he normally did, but she had no such luck.

Parker plastered a concerned and outraged frown on his face. "That's a little careless of him, letting his girl walk the streets of Sunnydale by herself at night, there not at all safe. We have one of the highest ranking murder and mysterious disappearances count in America."

Buffy clenched her hands into fists, and then unclenched them again, trying to keep herself calm. The fact that she knew that he was trying to play her with his 'sincere' concern and outrage over her 'boyfriends' carelessness, not helping her with her cool. "Oh, it's fine, really! I can take care of myself."

Parker took a step closer to her, and touched her arm. "Oh, I'm sure you can." Parker said to sooth the petite blonds obviously ruffled feathers. "But anything can happen, even to those that can look after themselves." Parker took in the narrowed eyed look Buffy shot his way and opted for a safer topic. "Say… can I get you a drink?"

Buffy hesitated for a moment. "Yeah sure." She agreed, flashing him a forced pleasant smile. _'Anything to get you away from me before I snap, and knock your conceited head off your conceited shoulders!'_

"Great!" Parker exclaimed clapping his hands together. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." Parker told her, before turning and heading towards the drinks table.

Buffy looked away from him completely disinterested, her eyes surveying the club, landing back on the dances. Behind her the door opened and Angelus stepped into the room, his eyes immediately going to Buffy as she stood with her back to him, standing alone in amongst the crowds of college students. Buffy felt him and an uncontrollable smile curved her lips as she turned to face him. Angelus walked over to her, his own half smile curving his lips. "So, you decided to come after all." He murmured as he came to stand beside her.

Buffy shrugged, getting control over her face muscles, as she managed to wipe the all too ecstatic smile at seeing him off her face, as she folded her arms under her chest. "Well, I couldn't just let you make a meal out of the hapless people. There here to have a good time not serve as your dinner."

Across the room, Parker reached into his pocket having finally reached the surrounded drinks table, a plastic cup filled with cheap beer in his hand. Pulling out a thin little capped bottle from his pocket he uncapped it and poured the clear drug into the beer. Giving the cup a small swirl to work the drug through the liquid Parker turned around, and frowned when he saw Buffy with her boyfriend standing next to her. Annoyed, but not put out, Parker made his way over to the petite blond. There was nothing wrong with a little encouragement if the girl was playing hard to get. It wasn't as if he wouldn't make it good for her too.

"Here's your drink." Parker said with his charm smile in place, pointedly having only eyes for Buffy as he ignored the fact that her boyfriend was glaring at him openly.

"Ah, thanks Parker." Buffy murmured taking the drink from him, and nursing it in her hands.

Angelus looked down at the amber liquid in the cup Parker had given Buffy, before glancing up at the boy himself who was looking at his girl with an intensity he didn't like. The boy's brown eyes going from the cup to Buffy's face. Angelus growled angrily to himself. Buffy picked up the sound and looked up at Angelus shocked, wondering what had happened to make him angry. Surely Parker giving her a drink wasn't getting his emotions all in a bunch. Angelus focused his senses on the cup and took a deep sniffing breath. The scent of the cheap beer assaulted his nose, but mixed in with that was a potent drug. "Buff, Give me your drink." Angelus murmured demandingly.

Buffy met his eyes surprised, but seeing the intense urgency in them, she quietly handed it over, much to Parker's displeasure. Angelus took another sniff and his nose wrinkled in distaste and he shot another glare at Parker. If he hadn't planned on killing the boy before, it was firmly cemented in his mind now. No one tried to drug his mate and get away with it! All three were distracted however as Harmony, Spike and completely out of it guy held up by their shoulders came to a stop in front of them. "Spike." Buffy said recognizing him immediately, her eyes drifted over the out of it guy, before landing on Harmony. "And Harmony." She said amusement written all over her face.

"Buffy, hi." Harmony looked over her. "What a cute outfit. Last year." She said cuttingly.

Spike looked from his Sire to The Slayer to the dark haired boy he didn't recognize, but from the angry waves coming off of his Sire, which as far as he could tell weren't directed at him, was competition for the petite blonds affections. "Well, this is interesting… sort of a double date."

"You'd wish Spikey." Angelus rumbled, making the peroxide blond vampire look up at him from his slightly bent over position.

Spike looked from Angelus to the boy, and smirked to himself. "So, let's have a look at the new boy." He said and mentally grinned as he felt his Sire's irritation rise.

Parker held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Parker."

Spike looked at the outstretched hand bemused at the innocent unknowledgeable action. Parker dropped his hand disconcerted at the lack of response. Spike looked Parker up and down, before turning his eyes back to Buffy. "He's got. What's the word? Vulnerability." Spike smirked. "I hear some girls like that in a man." He added, and he heard the unmistakable growl of anger and jealousy from his Sire. Just like he had intended, he hadn't travelled with the vampire for a little less than a full century without knowing how to push his buttons.

"And you with Harmony." Buffy looked at Spike. "What'd you do? Loose a bet?" She asked mockingly.

"Hey!" Harmony exclaimed offended, scowling at the petite blond.

"Actually, how we met. It's a funny story," Spike threw the out of it boy into Angelus, Buffy and Parker, managing to catch Harmony as well as all three stumbled back at the sudden action, as Spike made his break for it, leaping over the couch.

Buffy got to her feet. "Stay here." She told Parker, before running after Spike, Angelus close on her heels. Buffy looked around as she got outside, looking around she head towards some shrubbery and ran into Spike who had stopped releasing that running straight to his lair would The Slayer right there. It was bad enough the Angelus knew, but if he hadn't told Buffy yet, which seeing as he hadn't had any Slayerly visits, he was sure Angelus hadn't for his own reasons. Whatever they were. Turning around Spike punches her straight in the face, before getting into a defensive stance. "What's the matter Spike? Dru dump you again." Buffy quipped. She threw a punch, when he blocked it, she threw another, only for Spike to block it again. Throwing a third punch she hit him square in the nose.

"Maybe I left her." Spike growled.

Angelus made a disbelieving noise. "Right, after all the fuss you made over her the last time you were here. I don't think you have the self respect to walk away Spikey." Angelus taunted. Spike growled and when Buffy went to attack him, he shoved her to the left of him as he blocked the attack.

Harmony who had managed to disengage herself from Parker and the boy that Spike had thrown into them came running around the corner slightly out of breath. "She left him for a fungus demon. That's all he talks about most days." She whined.

Angelus looked at Spike amused. "Again boyo? All that talk about chaining her up and torturing her until she liked you again, and what that still wasn't enough for her." Angelus looked off to the right. "Jeez Dru, maybe I left you more sanity then I ever thought."

Spike growled, and stalked over to Harmony. "Harm! We are going. It isn't time yet."

Harmony nodded, her eyes going to Buffy, and Angelus. "Yeah, but as soon as we have the gem of Amara, you're gonna be sorry…"

"Arggh!" Spike growled throwing his hands up in the air in annoyance, before grabbing Harmony roughly and pulling her hurriedly back the way they had come.

"What?" Harmony cried, as she was dragged away. "Ow!" She complained.

Buffy watched them leave Angelus beside her. She lowered the stake she had pulled after a moment, and looked up at Angelus thoughtfully. "Any idea what Harmony was talking about?"

Angelus slowly turned and looked down at her, a smirk on his lips and an excited gleam in his eyes. In a sudden quick unexpected movement, he pulled her to him and planted a passionate harsh kiss to her lips, before releasing her and walking away. Buffy looked after him stunned for a moment, before her eyes narrowed as she watched him seemingly melt into the darkness. "Oh, I just know that you know something." She muttered, before she smiled as she placed her fingers gently against her tingling lips, before shaking herself and lowering her hand.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander stood halfway up a ladder in the basement in his parent's house, which had been turned into his bedroom upon his return from his failure of a road trip. He hung up a mirror ball, making sure that it was firmly hooked to the basement ceiling. He didn't look away as he heard a knock on the door. "Come in." He called. He climbed down the ladder as Anya cautiously opened the door and came down the steps into the basement. Stepping off the ladder Xander turned around slightly surprised to see that it had been Anya at his door. "Anya. Hi again." He greeted.

"You're mother sent me around from the front of the house. She said to ask you to add fabric softener when the timer goes off." Anya shifted. "Can we talk some more?"

Xander shrugged. "Yeah I suppose. Would you like something? I have cran-apple?" He offered.

"Yeah, alright." She accepted.

Xander turned and walked over to the second hand fridge he had bought so that he could avoid his parents as much as possible. Opening it, he rummaged around inside it searching for the juice boxes he knew that he had in there somewhere. "You know it's customary to call before you show up. Not that…" Xander turned around and froze as his eyes returned to Anya to find her naked, his eyes dropped to the dress that was pooled around her feet, before going back up his mouth gaping. His hand constricted around the opened cran-apple juice box and the juice squirted up out of the straw in response.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy stood at a payphone not far from where the party was still taking place, the phone to her ear as she spoke to Giles on the other end of the line. "Yeah, Spike with Harmony. If you can believe it. I couldn't figure out why he ran away, but Harmony said something. Why there were here. They were looking for the gem of something…" Buffy frowned as she tried to remember the exact pronunciation of the word. "Amara."

Giles looked up from his position in his apartment surprised to hear the name. "The gem of Amara. Are you sure?"

Buffy nodded before remembering that he couldn't see her. "Yeah, what's up?"

"Uh, oh, it's just uh, it's not real." Giles stammered slightly flustered, as he walked over to boxes that had yet to be taken from storage and put into the new book shelves he had acquired since the blowing up of the High School library. "It's uh, the vampire equivalent of the Holy Grail. The source of some enormous power, was conveniently vague. Oh, here it is, yes." Giles exclaimed having found the book he was looking for. "There was a great deal of vampiric interest in locating it during the uh, oh 10th century." Giles read. "Questing vampire combed the earth, but no one ever found anything… it was concluded that it never existed."

"Well, Spike seems to think it exists. And he's looking in Sunnydale." Buffy muttered into the receiver as she pondered whether or not to tell him that Angelus was present when Harmony had divulged the information, before deciding against it. The gem might not even be real… there was no point in getting Giles worried if there was nothing to be concerned about…

"Yes," Giles agreed. "Well I'll research it as best I can. You've done all you can for tonight. Why don't you go to bed?" Giles suggested concernedly glancing at the clock on his wall.

"Uh, yeah sure." Buffy agreed. "Um, I'm just gonna do a last sweep of the party, make sure there's no more uninvited night life. Bye." Buffy said into the phone piece, hanging up the phone, before Giles could voice a reply.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Harmony lay on the bed she shared with Spike in their bedroom dressed in only sexy lingerie, as Spike sat on the opposite side of the room holding a book open in an attempt to read and ignore the blond lying on his bed. "Is Antonio Banderas a vampire?" Harmony asked.

"No." Spike muttered shortly, still rather cross with her for telling The Slayer and Angelus his plans. He had half except his Sire to barge into his crypt not shortly after he had entered.

"Can I make him a vampire?" Harmony asked.

"No." Spike muttered again, before looking up from his book. "On second thought, yes. Go do that. Take your time. Do Melanie and the kids as well."

Harmony whose mind had veered from her original topic, had her fingers against her wrist searching for her pulse. "Hey, I don't have a pulse. Cool." She looked over at her lover. "Hey, can we eat a doctor so we can get a stethoscope and hear my heart not beating?" She asked excitement gleaming in her eyes at the thought.

Spike who had turned his attention back to his book growled lowly in annoyance. "Harm. Will you shut the hell up?" He shouted, as he jumped to his feet in a fury his eyes glaring over at the blond lying on his bed.

Harmony giggled not at all worried by her Spikey's sudden attack of temper. He was always like that, and she loved him for it. "And if my hearts not beating," She murmured, looking up at Spike under her lashes, before looking down at herself. "What are these blue veins for? I'm simply covered in these blue veins." She said as she ran her fingers lightly up over the rounded curve of her breast, drawing Spike's attention to her ample cleavage. "See." She murmured huskily.

Spike smiled as lust filled him, his sudden anger vanishing, as he walked over and climbed on to the bed, moving so that he was lying over her.

Harmony smiled affectionately as they nuzzled for a few moments, before Spike drew back slightly. "I've got an extra set of chains." He told her heatedly.

Harmony gave him a disgruntled look. "Just because Dorkus went in for that…"

Harmony trailed off as Spike grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. "Drusilla. Say her name." He demanded softly.

Harmony bit her lower lip for a second a smile curving them. "Dorkus." She murmured.

"Bite your tongue." Spike growled huskily.

"Do it for me." Harmony murmured. Spike smiled and kissed her lustily, if it was one thing that made putting up with Harmony worthwhile at least some of the time was her mattress skills. Spike growled huskily making Harmony shiver and emit her own little lusty growl as Spike fisted his hands in her flimsy lingerie, preparing to rip it away.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander stood in his basement room, his eyes still wide as he stared at Anya who was still completely naked in his room, which was something he was still finding hard to wrap his mind around. "At which point the matter is brought to a conclusion with both parties satisfied and able to move on with their separate lives and interests. To sum up, I think it's a workable plan." Anya explained.

Xander blinked. "So, the crux of this is…"

"Sexual intercourse." Anya repeated getting slightly exasperated, enough though she found his confusion annoying cute. "I've said it like a dozen times."

"Uh-huh." Xander nodded. "Just working through a little hysterical deafness here."

"I think it's the secret to getting you out of my mind. Putting you behind me. Behind me figuratively, I'm thinking face to face for the actual even itself." Anya told him bluntly.

"Ah, right. It's just we hardly know each other. I mean I like you. And you have a certain directness that I admire." Xander shifted uncomfortably, his experience with Faith still left him a little uncomfortable when remembering how different the act had meant to the both of them. "But sexual interc… what you're talking about, well, and I'm actually turning into a woman as I say this, but it's about expressing something, and accepting consequences."

"Oh," Anya exclaimed a smile curving her lips. "I have condoms. Some are black." She informed him, making Xander swallow thickly.

"That's… that's very considerate." Xander stuttered.

"I like you. You're funny and you're nicely shaped." Anya told him. "And frankly, it's ludicrous to have these interlocking bodies and not… interlock." Anya looked at him hopefully. "Please remove you clothing now."

"And the amazing thing… still more romantic than Faith." He quipped to himself, as Anya stepped towards him.

Anya leaned up on the balls of her feet slightly to meet his lips with hers in a soft kiss, that got progressively steamy. The dingy of the dryer sounded throughout the basement, and Anya pulled back from Xander minutely. "Fabric softener." She reminded him.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy walked through the party her eyes and senses searching for any vampiric activity throughout the house. Buffy wrinkled her nose as she saw a guy and a girl making out heavily on a couch towards the back of the room she had entered, that wasn't what made her scrunch her nose though. It was the fact that his hand was up her shirt fondling her breasts for the entire party to see. Buffy shuddered as she turned her eyes away, she could only imagine the embarrassment the girl was going to feel in the morning when she had sobered up… if she even remembered the evening at all.

Wandering deeper into the room, Buffy shook her head minutely upon not seeing anything suspicious. She walked out of the room, only to almost run into a drunk guy. "You looking for someone, sweetheart?" He slurred.

"Ah, no." Buffy said firmly, before walking by him, her ears picking up the sounds of his objections to her departure. Buffy wandered into another room, clearing it quickly she moved on. Going through all the rooms of the house like that, emitting a small squeak when she opened the door to a bedroom to find it… most definitely occupied. She was just glad that the two had been too drunk and too involved in each other to notice her small accidental intrusion.

Buffy made it back to the front room with a sigh of relief, she hadn't found any other vampire unlife at the party, so she was free to leave. She started heading for the door, when Parker called out to her. "Hey Buffy!" He shouted over the music, catching her arm.

Buffy sighed and turned towards him. "Hey, again Parker." Buffy muttered.

"I'm glad you're alright. I was getting worried that it was taking you so long to come back to the party, after going off after that guy."

"Ah," Buffy murmured trying to think of an excuse. "I'm uh, sorry. That uh, English guy is an old friend." She made up quickly internally wincing at the word friend. "And he's not supposed to drink. And I uh, saw him here in the land of the beer…"

"It's alright. You did a good thing for your friend. Did uh, you and he used to go out?" He asked.

Buffy burst out into hysterical laughter. Shocked and disgusted at even the idea of the thought of her doing such a thing, before she broke off as abruptly as she had started. "Um, no. We really, really didn't… not ever."

Parker nodded, his eyes searching the room for the ominous presence of the petite blonds boyfriend. "Uh, where's your boy-to-friend?" Parker amended.

"Oh uh… he uh, he took Spike home. I was just making sure I hadn't left anything behind, before I left for the night." Buffy said quickly thinking of a way to get out of the house quickly.

Parker gave her a mock shocked look. "Leaving? Already?" He shook his head firmly. "No, you can't. We could dance?" He offered.

"Uh… no… I don't think that's a good idea." Buffy muttered glancing towards the door that led out of the house.

"We can sit and uh, talk then." Parker assured her. "I'm sure your boyfriend won't mind that."

"You'd be surprised." Buffy muttered under her breath as Parker her tugged her towards a couch, which his friends noticing him coming with the girl he had been after for a little over a week now quickly vacated for him.

Parker looked back at her. "Did you say something?" He asked.

"Uh, I said sounds like fun." Buffy replied with a fake smile.

Parker smiled back at her and he finished leading her to the couch. Reluctantly Buffy sat down, not wanting to cause a scene. She'd leave after a couple of minutes when it was polite for her to do so.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"Well, I declared premed. But I hated it. So I switched to history." Parker told her a while later as Buffy still sat on the couch. She looked out of the partying people, noting that people where slowly beginning to leave.

"History? Fascinating date and compelling faces." Buffy replied for something to say, as she more seriously began contemplating her exit from the Wolfhouse party. She held an untouched beer in her hands that Parker had gotten her a little while ago, but remembering Angelus' strange reaction she hadn't touched it. Something telling her that it was more than just the fact that it was Parker who had gotten her the drink, plus the way he had sniffed at it, like searching for something, and finding it.

"But there's something amazing about these huge events that when you dig down into them they're just about regular people trying to make choices. When you look back at it, it seems like people were swept up in event s they couldn't control. But I don't believe that. I believe you have a choice in everything you do." He moved towards Buffy, his intention to kiss her clear. Buffy's eyes widened in surprise, before she shifted back making Parker pause. "I'm sorry. Was that not ok? Because we don't have to do anything if you don't wanna. It's your choice."

Buffy narrowed her eyes at him. "Of course it's not ok!" She exclaimed. "I have a boyfriend, remember?" She growled, using Angelus' lie to her advantage. He wasn't her boyfriend, but the fact that Parker thought he was and still he tried to make a move on her, just made her so… mad!

Buffy tightened her hands into fists as she fought for control over her desire to hit square in the face, leaving him a nice nasty black eye for his troubles. Reigning herself in, not wanting to be known as psycho-girl. Buffy stood her spine stiff. "What are you doing?" Parker asked in disbelief, he'd never failed before!

Buffy tossed an angry look at him. "Making a choice." She told him, in a calmer voice then she thought she'd be able to manage with so much anger coursing through her. She walked away from Parker without a backward glance heading straight for the door.

Parker watched her go in surprise as his friends gathered on the couch around him, and began ribbing him over his lack of success with the petite blond. Parker turned his eyes away and grinned at them. "It's only a matter of time boys. It's only a matter of time." He assured them.

One of his friends shook his head. "I don't know man… she's seems like the faithful to the very end type."

"Hasn't stopped me before." Parker said shoving one of his friends good naturedly. His eyes landing on the drink Buffy had dropped spilling the contents all over the floor. "But damn I wish all that money for those drugs hadn't gone to waste." Parker scowled. "I don't know how her meddling boyfriend knew that they were in there, but damn it, if he hadn't of shown up when he did… I would have been so getting laid right now." He lamented.

Unnoticed by all in the party one of Angelus' minions stood in a corner a notepad open in his hand as he scribbled down notes of what had happened since Buffy had entered the club, the mass of bodies making it easy for him to blend in unnoticed, even with The Slayer's sharpening senses. He scribbled down a couple of notes in his pad, before flipping it closed. The Slayer had left there was no need for him to be here anymore.

And as much as he'd love to stay and feed on one of the remaining party goers Angelus would not be pleased if he found out that he had taken longer than necessary to report back to him. The minion looked down at his notepad as he turned and began making his way out of the house. At least with these notes he would be able to remember everything that happened without any trouble.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles sat in his apartment at his desk, books opened around him. He picked up his phone and dialled, waiting impatiently for someone to pick up. Instead he heard a tiny sound, before the pre-recorded message played over for him. "Buffy are you there? Call me, I need to talk to you right away." Giles said to the answering machine after the annoying beep, before hanging up with a sigh as his eyes turned back to the book he had been reading.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

In one of the many cemeteries in Sunnydale Buffy backhanded a vamp viscously, pounding out her rage on the poor unsuspecting fledge. She dodged a wide swinging punch that the vamp threw at her, and rebutted with four consecutive punches to his face, forcing the vampire to stumble back with a growl as he shook his head. Buffy advanced on him showing no mercy as she kicked him in the side, before punching him again. The vamp collapsed to his knees and held up his hands. "Please, please! Can you just stake me, already?"

Buffy frowned at him, before shrugging. Pulling her stake she slammed it home. The vampire smiled in relief as the pain in his body disappeared just as he turned to dust. Buffy slid her stake back in its hiding spot, as she looked at the scattering dust thoughtfully. "Well, that was a first." She murmured, before shrugging once again and continuing on through the cemetery still having more anger to burn.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus sat in his library leaning back in his chair a couple of book spread open on the table he was sitting at. A small frown on his face. The gem of Amara wasn't supposed to be real. It was just a myth. Spike knew that, and yet he was searching for the mystical gem here, in Sunnydale. Something must have changed Spike must have discovered something that led him to believe that the gem was real and that it resided in Sunnydale, but what? What could Spike have possibly found to make him believe that the gem was real?

Angelus shook his head it didn't matter the why's or the how's, or the when's they didn't matter. All that mattered was that Spike was looking for the powerful gem. Angelus grinned as he placed his hands behind his head. If the gem of Amara was real he'd have it. He had thought of going to interrogate Spike about the gem and it's whereabouts, but he had decided against it. Why should he bother himself with the hard labour when Spikey was willing to do all the work for him? He could just imagine the look on Spike's face when after finally doing all the hard work to actually find the gem, he comes along and takes it right back off him.

It seemed that soon, there was a very real possibility of the sun not being a bother to him anymore. Angelus' grin softened as he imagined the look on Buffy's face, before it disappeared completely. Would she be happy to see him walking the daylight, or would she be upset about it. Angelus frowned, she'd be happy if it where soul-boy walking around in the daylight, but with him he was sure that she'd be almost terrified by the development, not that she'd allow herself to show it, not to him anyway. Angelus sighed and sat forward in his chair. Soon, he promised himself, soon she would have learned to trust him again. And with him out in the sun, he'd get there much, much quicker.

Angelus looked up as he heard and sensed his minion walking towards him. He turned his head to look at the door just as the minion opened it, and stepped into the room, holding his notepad nervously. When he remained silent Angelus sneered at him. "Well?"

"Uh," The minion stuttered. "After you left, sir. Uh The Slayer returned thirty minutes later, and uh, searched the house, before going to take her leave, but uh, the uh, Parker boy. He stopped her and uh, convinced her to sit with him." The minion swallowed at the dark look Angelus was sporting. "Uh, they talked for a few moments, before Parker got her a drink, which uh, The Slayer didn't touch." Angelus smirked at that, relieved that his girl had taken his prior actions to heart. "Ah," The minion flipped the page. "They talked for a little while longer…"

"What about?" Angelus demanded to know.

Uh… about school mostly. Uh, when the boy got to the fact that he swapped into history class. He talked about choices, and uh, events and the people in them… uh," The minion stuttered trying to remember what he had picked up not having written down the actual conversations, not realizing that his boss would want to know the exact details of the discussion. "Then uh, the boy attempted to kiss The Slayer," The minion jumped in surprise as Angelus leapt to his feet with a growl his face shifting in his rage. "U-uh," He stuttered fearful for his unlife as his Master turned angry amber eyes on him. "But uh, The Slayer she uh, moved away from him. The boy then apologized and said a few other things, before The Slayer stood and uh, left."

Angelus smirked somewhat mollified by the fact that his girl had rebuffed Parker. His eyes went back to his minion. "You can get out now." He muttered. The minion nodded grateful to be getting away from his Master with his unlife. Angelus turned away as his minion quietly left his library, his face shifting back to its human visage. A cruel twist to his lips as he thought of the fate he had planned for Parker Abrams. Long before he was finished the boy would wish that he'd never learnt about girls, not to mention wish that he had never dared to make a move on his mate!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander and Anya sat on opposite sides of his bed, redressing themselves. "So, I'm over you now." Anya informed him, not really meaning the words as she still found herself helplessly infatuated.

"Um, ok." Xander agreed acceptingly.

Anya angled herself around to look at him with an angry frown. "Ok?"

Xander looked over his shoulder at her. "Yeah…" He trailed off as Anya jumped to her feet and stormed towards the stairs of his room, and stalking up them. Slamming the door closed behind her. Xander blinked confused, he thought that, that was what she had wanted to happen… so what was her problem?

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Spike lay over Harmony's lap lazily, as the ditsy blond held a stick of red lipstick on his back. Spike feeling the smooth liquid like substance being rolled over his back finally looked up from his half dazed state. "Harm, what are you doing?" He asked as Harmony finished the 'Y' of her name.

"I'm writing Spike loves Harmony on your back." She replied as she put the dot over for the 'I' in Spike's name.

"Why?" Spike asked.

Harmony shrugged as she surveyed her handy work. "I don't know. It's fun. I'm bored. You can write on me." She offered holding the lipstick out to him.

"I've got to get back to work." Spike muttered, as he rolled off Harmony's lap, and stood up from the bed.

Harmony pouted at him. "You love that tunnel more than me." She accused him.

Spike headed towards the entrance to the underground space. "I love syphilis more than you." He called over his shoulder.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy walked down the corridor heading towards her apartment. She couldn't believe that she had stayed up all night slaying… well beating her anger out on the nightlife of Sunnydale. It had worked like a charm to. She hadn't felt so relaxed in a long time, of course she was tired to. It was a good thing that she didn't have classes today. Buffy opened the door to her dorm room, walking in she shut the door behind her. Her hands going to the straps on the back of her shirt undoing them, so that she could take the sweaty shirt off, as she headed towards her unslept in bed.

"Oh, good morning." Giles greeted making Buffy pause and look over to Willow's side of the room to see said red head and Giles at her computer at her desk.

Buffy quickly redid up the straps at the back of her shirt. "Giles, I didn't know you were here."

"Uh, really." The former Watcher stated already knowing that.

"Uh, I was out slaying all Saturday night." Giles gave her a long accusing look. "Uh, you know what. I'm an adult now and it's none of your business what I do." Buffy muttered defensively.

"I'm sincerely relieved to hear that." Giles informed her. "Now can we discuss the impending disaster?"

Buffy tilted her head. "Disaster?" She questioned, wondering when they had gotten to disaster.

"Giles found something." Willow explained, a smile on her lips as she looked Buffy over trying to decipher whether, or not she had been with Parker all night.

"A text." Giles elaborated. "It refers to the gem of Amara as residing in the Valley of the Sun."

Buffy looked at Giles confused, before glancing at Willow who shrugged. "Demon fancy talk for Sunnydale." Buffy gave an 'Ah' look at Willow.

"It seems that Spike may know what it's about. It may exist after all, in Sunnydale in a sealed underground crypt."

Buffy frowned and chewed on her lower lip. "Uh, guys… it gets worse." Willow and Giles fixed her with worried eyes. "Angelus was there when Harmony spilled the beans on Spike." She muttered.

Giles took off his glasses, whilst Willow made an 'oh' sound as her expression turned nervous. Giles shook his head and replaced his glasses. "That's a spot of bad luck, I agree, but Angelus is two hundred and forty-four years old. There is a huge possibility that he will think Spike's endeavour a colossal waste of time."

Buffy frowned deepened as she remember Angelus' reaction and her lips tingled as she remembered his lips meeting hers, before he walked away, but that could have just been part of Angelus new charm act, right? Buffy looked up at Giles and Willow. "Why don't you guys try and locate the crypt and I'll try to find Spike, before he gets there."

Giles nodded, as Buffy sank down on Willow's bed. "I'll get started."

"I'll go call Xander and have him meet at your place." Willow informed Giles as he stood from the chair he had occupied.

"Right." He agreed as he walked towards the door.

Willow watched the door shut behind the former Watcher, before turning to Buffy excitedly. "It happened right?" She asked, before bounding over to her bed to sit by Buffy. Who was giving her a confused look. "Did it happen? With Parker?"

Buffy shook her head. "No. I really was out slaying all last night."

Willow blinked. "Why?"

"Why didn't I sleep with Parker, or why did I stay up slaying all night last night?" Buffy asked.

"Both!" Willow cried, confused at her friends continued reluctance to date the boy who was obviously interested, sure there was that Angelus problem, but surely they could be discrete until Buffy took care of the problem.

"Uh, one not interested, not even in the slightest. And after last night I doubt I could even call him cute."

Willow frowned concerned. "Why what happened?"

"The guy is a total player, Will. I heard him using the same lines he used on me, on another girl." Buffy held up her hand for silence when Willow opened her mouth. "Before you go into best friend outrage mode. That's not the answer to question two, only a reason for question one. As for question two, well. He tried to kiss me, even though he thought that I had a boyfriend, plus I'm pretty sure he was trying to slip me something in my drink."

Willow was silent for a long moment, looking dejected. "You know, why can't guys wear signs. Something like, 'I'm a poop head skirt chaser.'"

Buffy shrugged. "Doesn't matter Wills, it's not like I liked him any, anyway. And this way you know he's going to get to live, you know."

Willow frowned. "I guess. But, you know, maybe it wouldn't be all bad if Angelus did get a hold of him. Make him suffer a little."

Buffy gave Willow a small half smile. "Wow Wills, I didn't realize you had a blood thirsty side."

Willow shrugged. "It comes in waves. Normally just after hearing a guy hurt my best friend."

Buffy blinked. "But he didn't hurt me. Just made me really angry… which is the reason why I was out slaying all night. You know breaking vamp faces instead of Parker's.

"You imagined his face though, right?" Willow asked. Buffy grinned at her in answer.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Spike stood in the underground space looking up an ecstatic smile on his face. Harmony and his minion beside him. "It's here."

The minion nodded. "I knew it was here."

"We're close now. No one leave the lair till we're in. I don't want The Slayer tracking anyone to the tunnel. And that means you too Harmony." Spike said firmly as he turned to look at the blond vampiress. "You're an indoor kitty now."

Harmony stomped her foot and pouted up at the peroxide blond Master vampire. "But Spike, you said you'd take me places. You said we'd go to France and now I can't even leave the lair."

Spike threw down his shovel angrily, the shovel bouncing with the impact, as the minion departed. "Listen to me, you stupid bint. This gem is everything I came back to Sunnydale for, which has witnessed some truly spectacular kickings of my ass. Now, when I have the gem, they'll all die, don't worry. But until then, stay inside." Spike turned away, before turning back. "And by the way, I would be insanely happy if I heard bugger all, about sodding France!"

Harmony looked up at Spike with hurt eyes. "I don't know why I let you be so mean to me." She muttered sadly.

Spike smirked at her cruelly. "Love hurts baby."

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy wandered the campus showing people she passed the picture of Harmony in her old year book, hoping to find someone who had seen her recently. She moved from one person to the next. Some of them giving her annoyed looks as she stopped them from their business.

A long while later Buffy re-entered her dorm room throwing her year book on her bed. Looking at her answering machine hoping to see that one of her friends had, had any luck. Seeing the red number telling her she had 0 messages. Buffy sighed and walked over to the small mini fridge needing something to eat before she started her Harmony and Spike whereabouts search again.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Spike lay on his back the power drill in his hands making them shake terribly with the power of the drill, but he easily kept the drill in place against the floor of the sealed underground crypt.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

That night Buffy stood in the darkness in a payphone booth. The phone to her ear as she dialled the number that allowed her to hear the messages on her answering machine. You've got two new messages." Buffy heard the machine say. "One received today at 7:45 pm. Hi Buffy, it's Parker. I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry and that I know that I was really out of line. I was a bit drunk and I'm more than a little sorry that I made you feel uncomfortable. Uh, please call me back to let me know you got this, ok bye." Buffy rolled her eyes and deleted the message with an angry stab of her finger on the button the machine mentioned.

"Message two received today at 9:05 pm. Hi, it's me." Willow's voice came through the speaker and Buffy perked up hoping for any news. "Uh, just calling to let you know. We haven't found anything yet. Had any luck finding Spike yet?" Buffy deleted that message as well and sighed, digging her hands into her pockets Buffy walked away from the payphone heading back out into the night to continue her search for Harmony and Spike holding onto the small hope that she would come across them, before they managed to find the crypt. The last thing she wanted to deal with on top of Angelus was a power boosted Spike!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Spike continued to drill, the drill piece now buried much deeper in the concrete. A moment later he broke completely through and he is covered in daubery and dust.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy sighed as she looked at her answering machine to see one new message flashing up at her. Pressing the play button she sighed as she heard Parker's voice filling the room. Without paying any attention to the words, Buffy pressed the delete button, before laying on her bed feeling completely defeated just then. Still not having found anything on Spike or Harmony's whereabouts.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Spike climbed up into the crypt a lantern in one of his hands as he began looking around the old crypt filled with all kinds of sparkling gems and baubles. Harmony who had climbed up behind him carrying her own lantern looked around in awe. "It's real." Spike breathed scarcely able to believe it, as he looked down at the exposed skeleton with a large green gem embedded on a gold plate cut to fit it, on a gold chain around the skeleton.

"Ooh, pretty." Harmony exclaimed as she turned to look at Spike. "Can I take stuff?" She asked not wanting to be yelled at once again by the older vampire, who seemed to have less and less patience with her lately.

Spike didn't even look up at her, his eyes still fixed on the gem. "Take whatever you want I don't care."

Harmony sauntered over to him kissing him gratefully on the cheek. Spike ignored her as he stroked the gem for a moment, before yanking it off the skeleton, breaking the dead mans neck. The bones more fragile with age. Harmony who had wandered off turned around to look at him a tiara on her head. "Eww. Like you're too good to work a clasp."

Spike still ignoring her put on the necklace, and slowly moved his hands in the air in front of him imagining a sense of extraordinary new power. "So, is it doing it?" Harmony asked genuinely excited for him. "Do you feel it? I mean, you don't look different, if you were wondering." Harmony said with a shrug. "I thought you'd look taller, or glow, or something." Harmony turned back to the jewels she had found, slipping a ring on her finger she looked at it admiringly. "Hmm." Spike marched over to the side of the crypt that Harmony was on his eyes on one of the crosses there, determined to make sure that the gem worked. With a quick unhesitant motion he grabbed the cross, before quickly releasing it with a pained shout.

Harmony turned to look at him concerned. "You should put some butter on that." Harmony smiled at him. "But hey, maybe it's worth money, anyway." She said trying to cheer him up. "That would be something." Spike stalked towards her, reached out he broke off a piece of wood. "Then we could go to France and stay in a chateau and you could take me shopping…" Harmony broke off as Spike who in his raging disappointment couldn't stand to listen to Harmony chatter anymore, plunged the sharp bit of wood he'd broken off into her chest and through her heart. To both their surprise she didn't turn into dust and Spike pulled out his makeshift stake, watching in amazement as the annoying ditsy blonds wound healed immediately.

"I can't believe you just did that!" Harmony cried not releasing the significance of her still being there in her shocked hurt. She pummelled his chest with girlie punches that had little to no effect on Spike. Noticing a ring with a green gem set in it, Spike grabbed her hand and inspected it the excited gleam returning to his blue eyes. "Hold on." He growled. Using a cloth to protect his hand, Spike grabbed a cross and pressed it firmly against her forehead noting the fact that she wasn't burning.

"What are you doing you big freak?" Harmony cried trying to pull away from her lover.

"That's my gem." He said matter-of-factly. Grabbing her hand more firmly, he began trying to yank it harshly off her finger.

Harmony managed to pull away tears in her eyes. "Fine if that's all that matters to you." She ripped the ring from her finger violently and threw it at him, frowning when Spike easily caught it. "Then take it, take it, take it and get out!" She cried.

Spike slipped it on his own finger and headed towards the hole he had made in the previously sealed off crypt. "That's a good idea. I think I'll go wait outside." Harmony watched miserably as he jumped through the hole without a backwards glance in her direction. When he landed he grasped the necklace that still hung around his neck and yanked it off from around his neck breaking the clasp this time. Throwing the useless bauble to the ground he continued to stride away. Heading for the above ground crypt and the sunshine that was waiting to embrace him after so long. A menacing smile full of anticipation curving his lips as he thought of The Slayers reaction to seeing him.

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Oz sat on the floor of Giles apartment a box open in front of him as he flicked through the records that were being stored in there. Whilst Giles sat at his table trying to study up on the gem of Amara. "Ok, either I'm borrowing all your albums, or I'm moving in." Oz said firmly in awe of all the great albums that Giles had at his fingertips.

"Oz there are more important things than records right now." Giles muttered.

Oz pulled out a record and held it up for Giles to see. "More important than this one?" He asked.

Giles looked at the record and a smile curved his lips. "Well, I suppose an argument could be made for…"

"Whoa!" Xander exclaimed cutting Giles off and drawing everyone's attention as he shifted boxes out of the way to reveal an old TV set. "Giles has a TV." He looked over his shoulder at the other occupants of the room. "Everybody, Giles has a TV. He's shallow like us."

"I got to admit, I'm a little disappointed." Oz deadpanned looking at the TV in well disguised shock.

"I ah, uh, uh." Giles stammered, not having excepted anyone to find his little guilty pleasure.

Willow walked in from the opposite room having heard all the fuss. "Well, maybe it doesn't work. Like a piece of art."

Silently Xander turned the old switch to the on position, to test Willow's theory. The red heads mouth dropped in shock to see the colourful pictures on the screen moving and flickering working perfectly.

Giles coughed self consciously, and looked away from the TV slightly annoyed with the unwarranted attention that his owning a TV had garnered. "Public television. Come on everyone we have vital work to do. Watching television is not going to help us right now."

"…Near the UC Sunnydale campus. Officials attribute the unusual occurrence to weakening of the supporting topsoil nearby." The TV screen showed a large cave in on a road close to the college campus. "City work crews denied any tunnelling has been done in the area." The news anchor said, as if to contradict Giles words.

"Tunnelling." Giles muttered his quick brain quickly jumping to the most logical conclusion given the facts. "Spike." He turned to the younger adults in the room. "Xander, find Buffy and meet us there." He ordered. Immediately all four of them jumped into action. Giles, Willow and Oz headed directly for the door. Xander waited a beat, before turning off the TV deciding it wasn't going to give out any more useful information like the exact location of the petite blond Slayer.

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Buffy wandered along the campus empty handed severely disbelieving that walking around with her old year book was going to help anymore than it had yesterday. Spike wasn't completely stupid. He'd probably gone underground the moment Harmony had tattled his little secret to her and Angelus. The gem was supposed to be the vampire holy grail, give them extraordinary powers, but she had no idea what kind. Buffy frowned she had a feeling that Angelus knew what kind of powers the gem gave a vampire. She should probably go try and interrogate him over the gem try to find out what he knew of the gem.

The key word of course being 'try'. If Angelus didn't want to say anything it was practically impossible to get him to say anything… that you wanted to hear. Or he'd talk in cryptic riddles just to annoy the hell out of her. Buffy sighed and turned to head for Angelus' mansion, steeling herself for a battle of wits and wills. "Hey Buffy!" Parker's shout made Buffy freeze in her tracks and sigh, just what she didn't want to deal with. Parker Abrams.

Buffy turned with a false polite smile curving her lips. "Hey Parker. What's going on?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright. You never returned any of my calls, got me worried." Parker lied smoothly, not really having cared about the returning of his phone calls.

"Oh, uh, sorry. I've just been real busy." Buffy said with a nod.

Parker tossed an apple he was carrying in his hand from one hand to the other. "So about the other night at the party. I really am sorry, if I acted like a bit of a dick. It's just that my father's death hit me pretty hard you know, and that combined with the alcohol I guess I was just ready to take a chance."

"Right." Buffy muttered dubiously. "Look Parker I'm sure you're a great guy under all the bravado and the many women you sleep with, but I'm not interested in being another notch on your bedpost, or whatever it is you like to call it. Ok. So just leave me alone, alright."

Parker blinked. "So, you wouldn't be interested in going to the movies with me on Friday night?" He asked with his never failed to charm; charm grin.

Buffy rolled her eyes and walked past him. "That would be a definitely not on your life." She muttered under her breath as she headed away from Parker, who watched her go for a moment, before walking towards one of the school buildings.

Buffy froze midstride as her eyes landed on Spike standing in broad daylight, an arrogant cocky smile on his face. "Hello Slayer." Spike greeted, before swinging back his arm and hitting her square in the face. Buffy fell to the ground and Spike looked down at her with his smug expression. "Birds singing, squirrels making lots of rotten little squirrels. Sun beaming down in a nice, non-fatal way. It's very exciting. I can't wait to see if I freckle." Buffy whipped out her stake and jumped to her feet, throwing a punch she hit Spike square in the face. Spike punched her back in retaliation, sending Buffy sprawling to the ground again.

Spike moved to jump on her, but Buffy kicked him in the gut forcing him back. He staggered, but jumped forward again, impaling himself on Buffy's stake. "Oh, do it again." Spike taunted. "It tickles. You know in a good way." Buffy pulled her stake out of his chest and watched surprised as the wound healed far faster than any vampire had the right to heal. Spike held up his hand showing off the ring on his finger. "The gem of Amara." He backhanded her with it, sending Buffy to the ground again. "Official sponsor of my killing you." Spike shifted his face into the hard ridges of the demon, before lunging for the petite blond still lying prostrate on the ground.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles and Oz stood in the cracked open crypt with Harmony watching them as she cried her heart out, as the two men hefted Willow up into the crypt. "Being a vampire sucks!" Harmony growled vehemently, before jumping up and charging at the three feeling the need for a little comfort food.

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Xander stood in front of dorm room 214 knocking anxiously on the door. "Buffy!" He called, before knocking again. "Buffy?"

He turned away deducing that Buffy most definitely wasn't in her dorm. He was cut short of running out to do a frantic search of the grounds by Anya who had just walked up to him. "Xander. I was looking for you. You weren't in your musty basement." She accused.

Xander looked at her distractedly. "Have you seen Buffy?" He asked.

"No." Anya frowned, what did Buffy had to do with them? "About what happened? I said I was over you…"

"Anya, I don't have time." Xander muttered cutting Anya off, before hurrying past her, trying to figure out where Buffy would mostly likely be on the campus he didn't really know all that well. Anya looked after him a dejected expression on her face as she watched his hurriedly retreating back.

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"Harmony, where's Spike?" Giles asked the vampiress they were able to overpower ridiculously easily. "Has he got the gem?"

Harmony nodded dejectedly tears rolling down her face. "He staked me, than he took it. He tried to take it right off my finger, like I wouldn't have given it to him. I would have given him anything he wanted. He was my platinum baby and I loved him."

"Where did he go?" Giles demanded to know. Harmony hesitated a moment, before walking towards the hole they had come up out of and jumped down. Giles, Oz and Willow quickly following.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy managed to get to her knees, before having to block a punch from the peroxide blond. He slammed against a pole, before kicking her in the stomach. Buffy got to her feet, and attempted to kick him, but Spike blocked her attempt and threw her back into the pole, keeping her pressed against it. Buffy shot her hand out and wrapped it as best she could around Spike's throat knowing that it wouldn't really do anything to him, but make him slightly uncomfortable she squeezed hoping to at least break something, before using it to throw him off her in a burst of preternatural strength. Buffy power kicked him in the stomach, the force sending him spinning to the ground.

Effortlessly Spike bounded back onto his feet and whirled around to face her, his leg raised to kick her. Buffy blocked the blow, then roundhouse kicked him, followed by another stunning him for a moment. Using that moment Buffy grabbed him by the arm she threw him onto a bench sending him rolling across it. She jumped up on to the bench after him and aimed a kick at his chest, but he blocked her kick, and took hold of her arm. Using it he threw her into a metal framed table. The table top shattering under the force in which she had made contact with it. With a pained movement she rolled off slowly, Spike strolling after her, his cocky grin back in place showing off his fangs which glinted threateningly in the direct sunlight.

"Getting tired Slayer?" Spike asked tauntingly. Buffy scrambled to her feet, only to get caught by a flurry of punches by the peroxide blond Master vampire, and fall to the ground again. Looking behind Spike she saw Xander running up behind the peroxide blond. 'I'm doing something brave but incredibly stupid' written all over his face. "Xander, get out of here!" She demanded.

Turning Spike grabbed Xander and kneed him harshly in the face, before throwing the boy away from him sending him flying through the air and into a pole. Xander collapsed to the ground with a grunt of pain. Shots of it radiating up and down his spine, preventing him from moving to get up anytime soon.

Spike turned his attention back to Buffy who was still on the ground and couldn't help taunting her some more. He had been waiting years to get to this moment. To have this Slayer right where he wanted her. "So, Parker's been chasing after your tail, eh? Surprised you haven't let him take a poke yet. I thought it must have been easy to part The Slayer's dimpled knees."

Buffy scowled up at him. "You're a pig Spike." She growled.

Spike jumped down from the stairs he had been standing on to land in front of her, before kicking her harshly. "Let's face it Slayer. A Slayer that allows Angelus The Scourge of Europe to lie between her thighs, can't be all that hard to get into bed. So I wonder what the boy was doing wrong, maybe it was the vulnerability thing. You're more in for the tall dark and brooding."

Buffy scrambled to her feet and flew at Spike, delivering a punishing roundhouse. Spike recovered quickly and delivered an equally viscous punch that sent her flying back. "Or maybe you were just scared that the boy would turn into an evil monster, that'd torment you for a few years before deciding that you were worth keeping around for a good fuck." Spike cocked his head to the side. "By the way how is Angelus?" Spike taunted with a cruel smile, not being able to help driving a bigger wedge between Angelus and his so called mate. From what he'd seen so far. The petite blond wasn't his mate… or at least didn't act like it.

Buffy looked up at Spike with angry eyes, as she shot up from her position on the ground. She kicked him harshly in the head, before throwing three consecutive punches at him sending Spike stumbling backwards. Buffy followed him and threw him over the edge of a planter. Jumping up she kicked him as she came down, landing on the planter, sending Spike onto the next planter over. Knocking over an earthenware pot. Grabbing him when Spike stood to his feet Buffy punched him twice in the face harshly, sending Spike spinning to face away from her.

Buffy grabbed the wrist of the hand that Spike wore the gem of Amara on, she twisted it behind him. Forcing his arm up at an awkward angle that threatened to break his arm if he struggled to hard, also bending his body forward to keep from dislocating it. "Take it off me this way, we both burn!" Spike growled hoping to bluff his way out of the situation.

Buffy cocked her head to the side, even though Spike couldn't see it. "Really? Let's see." Buffy ripped the ring off his finger without hesitation, and immediately let go of his arm, having gotten what she wanted.

Immediately Spike's face contorted in pain as the sun that had been rendered harmless by the gem burned him. Smoke rose from under his leather jacket, as he turned to face Buffy as he flapped his arms desperately as he searched for a way out, before remembering the sewer entrance. Turning around he ran for it and disappeared through it into the safe dank darkness of the sewer. Exhausted and in no small amount of pain, both physical and emotional sat down. Opening the hand that had closed around the ring she had taken from Spike's finger, she looked down at it inspecting it.

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The ring of Amara sat on the coffee table in Giles' lounge looking harmless. Buffy, Willow, Oz, Giles and Xander all sitting around one side of the table looking at it. "I like it." Willow declared.

Oz nodded. "It's small." He thought that it might have been much bigger. Like Spike he probably would have figured the gaudy large necklace as the gem of Amara, not that he knew that.

"Really worth getting my ribs bashed in." Xander muttered moodily his back still stinging slightly.

"It's also very dangerous. And we're destroying it." He said firmly.

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, any vamp that got their hands on this would have been virtually un-killable." Buffy's hands clenched into fists. She would have loved Angel to have this, and in her heart she would even love Angelus to have the gem, if only to guarantee his safety, but it wasn't possible. Angelus wasn't Angel, he couldn't be trusted with the power the gem would give. Destroying it was best for everybody. Even her, somehow she doubted that her floundering defences would be able to hold if her reprieve from him during the day was taken away.

The others around her nodded their agreement a silent shared shudder running between, Buffy's for a slightly different reason to her friends. Buffy reached down for the ring, picking it up she cupped it in one of her hands. "So, any idea how, we go about destroying the most powerful gem in vampiric history?" She asked, her gaze going to Giles.

Giles looked uncomfortable for a second, before shaking his head. "Nope, no idea."

Buffy sighed, and closed her hand around it. "Well, until you find something, I guess I better keep this thing with me." Giles nodded his agreement. If anyone had any hope of protecting the ring until they could find out how to destroy it totally and utterly it was Buffy.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy sighed heavily as she sat at the dining room table at her mother's house. The older Summer's had just gone to bed after spending some quality time with her daughter. Having been pleasantly surprised by Buffy's visit. Buffy sat the ring that had been burning a hole in her jean pocket on the table and her eyes focused on it. It was so small, but so powerful, and in a way rather pretty. If Angel had still been around she would have given it to him in a shot, no second thoughts no concerns, just pure relief in knowing that no matter what he was safe, no lucky enemy could kill him by slamming a stake through his heart.

And the sun she would have finally been able to see him in the sun walk with him, with the sun shining down on him, on the both of them and not a worry in the world. Buffy sighed heavily once again. It had been a secret dream of hers to see Angel in the sun, and it hadn't gone away just because he was now Angelus. If she thought even for a moment that she could trust Angelus with the power the gem set in the ring provided she'd probably have given it to him. Buffy shook her head, but she couldn't and the ring had to be destroyed as soon as Giles found out how to destroy the gem the better. In all honesty she had been a little surprised that he didn't know, but then he hadn't believed that the ring existed at all, no one had, except Spike.

Buffy's head shot up as she felt the familiar warm tingling spreading from the base of her spine and she looked towards the open doorway into the room, in time to see Angelus walk in, having obviously just walked in through the front door. His brown eyes took her in, before drifting to the table where the ring lay. "I thought I'd find you here." He murmured his eyes moving from the ring back to Buffy who, was still looking at the ring having followed his gaze.

Slowly looking back up at him, she shook her head vehemently. "I can't let you have it." She said firmly. Grabbing the ring from the table she fisted it in her left hand hiding it from view.

"Oh come on now, lover." Angelus murmured taking a measured step towards her. "I don't want to have to take from you by force." He told her sincerely. "I'd much prefer you to just give it to me."

Buffy hesitated, her heart warring with her commonsense, but eventually she did shake her head. "No. You can't have it. The gem is going to be destroyed." Buffy said firmly, tightening her hand around the ring.

Angelus sucked in a breath, before sighing. "I'm sorry, Buff. But I can't let you do that." He gestured to her hand that held the ring. "I need that."

Buffy took a deep breath and un-fisted her hand, taking the ring in her right hand she slid it on to the middle finger of her left hand, so that she wouldn't have to worry about holding it during the fight that was about to take place. "I can't let you have it." She said softly, and really that was all she needed to say, for both knew what was about to happen.

Angelus took steady steps towards her, and Buffy braced herself her hands clenching into fists. Angelus dodged the two punches Buffy threw at him with a frown as he blocked the backhanded punch that she threw at him next. He really didn't want to hurt her. Buffy kicked him, her foot managing to catch him in the side, making Angelus growl. He backhanded her, making her head fly to the side, even though he hadn't used that much of his strength. With a swift movement he stepped up beside her grabbing her arm with the gem, he moved behind her, pinning her arm behind her back. Buffy yanked at her arm, stifling a yelp as it sent pain flying through her from her recent fight with Spike.

Angelus let out a silent sigh, grateful that he had managed to finish the fight so quickly. He wrapped his free hand around her waist gently, as he breathed in her scent. "I really, really didn't want to do this, this was Buff. This would have gone so much better if you had of just given the gem to me." He murmured in her ear.

Buffy shook her head. "You can't take it Angelus. No vampire deserves the kind of power this ring gives." She said, hoping to appeal to some part of him… she wasn't really sure what.

"Would it make you feel better if I told you that I don't want the gem for evil purposes?" Angelus asked as Buffy forced her hand clench into a fist as his arm released her waist, as it went for the ring.

"It might… if I thought for a second it were true." Buffy grumbled as she felt his fingers brush against her curled over fingers.

Angelus sighed and shook his head. "Come on lover. I don't want to hurt you more than I already have." His fingers still stroking against hers. Buffy shook her head, tears threatening to spill down her eyes as her mind and heart warred with each other. One telling her to just give it to him, that it'd keep him safe, and the other telling her to throw him off, that he couldn't be trusted.

Angelus kissed her head through her blond hair, as he trailed his fingers down the finger that wore the ring. When he reached the tip of her finger he grasped it and attempted to pull it away from her palm. Buffy struggled against his strength, doing her best to keep her finger firmly planted against the flesh of her palm. Buffy let out a soft grunt of pain, that made Angelus kissed the side of her hair again, in silent apology as he slowly brought her finger away from her palm, her strength fighting against his the entire way. Finally Angelus let go of her arm and quickly grabbed the ring sliding it free from her finger.

As soon as the ring had passed over the tip of her finger he released her, and Buffy spun around and made a grab for the ring. Angelus side stepped and danced around her until he was finally closer to the front door. Buffy breathed hard as she watched Angelus slide the ring onto his ring finger of his right hand. Angelus looked down at the ring for a moment with a smile, before looking back up at Buffy. "Now, don't look at me like that Buff. I told you I wanted the gem, and I always get what I want." He smiled at her. "I'll see you." He told her before walking out.

Buffy stood frozen as she watched him leave, not quite sure she believed what had just happened. Out of all the times she had lost to him, never had been over something so damned important, but at the same time she was happy that he had the ring, that it would protect him. Buffy sank down to the floor of the dining room. There hadn't really been much of a fight, and although she was sure most of it was because of her aches and pains from her viscous fight with Spike, she was also sure that he had won so easily because she had really wanted him to win. To have the gem. Buffy put her head in her hands. Oh God, what was she going to tell Giles and the others? Somehow she didn't think. 'Oh hey guys. Have you found out how to destroy the gem yet, oh and by the way Angelus stole it last night.' Would really cut it.

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Angelus strolled through Kresge Hall. It had amazed him just how easy it was to find out where the boy lived. All he'd had to do was ask the first comely woman he had come across on the campus and he'd gotten the name of the hall, and his room number. Angelus smirked as he reached the boys door. The boys scent strong in his nose now, along with the intermingling scents of the many females he'd had during his years at the campus. Angelus knocked on the door firmly, and immediately he heard the sounds of scuffling feet as the boy made his way to the door.

Angelus stepped to the side, his smirk widening into a smile as he saw the door begin to open. Parker opened the door, and when he saw no one he frowned and poked his head out the doorway to see if someone was retreating. His eyes had only just landed on Angelus, when he reached in a quick almost unseeable movement and grabbed him by his hair, effortlessly pulling him out of the dorm room. "Ow, man! What the fuck?" Parker yelped angrily as he was dragged out of his room. Angelus pulled his head back so that the boy was forced to look into his angry brown eyes, before slamming his fist into the boys face knocking the boy out cold.

Throwing the unconscious boy over his shoulder Angelus walked back down the deserted hall, whistling a jaunty tune as he walked. His mind running over all the things he planned to do to the boy for going after his mate.

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Buffy stood under the horrified disbelieving stares of her friends and father-figure as they digested the information that she had told them. The early afternoon sun shining in through one of the windows in Giles apartment contradicting the heavy mood. "Well, that's just peachy!" Xander wailed, being first to recover his motor skills. "I think I would I have preferred Spike to keep the gem." Buffy looked down at her toes.

"Buffy, you have to get the gem back from him." Giles stated firmly.

Buffy nodded. "I know… I was hoping that you may have found something that would destroy the gem… even a might destroy I could settle for a might." The petite blond pleaded.

Giles, Willow, Xander and Oz looked away uncomfortable at their own current lack of success. Giles cleared his throat. "As of yet we have found nothing. Concerning the destruction of the gem." Giles looked back at her with firm piercing blue eyes. "I'm afraid that right now, getting the ring back is the only option available to us."

Buffy met his eyes, as she gave him a look. "And just how do you suggest that I do that? He's pretty adamant about wanting it."

Giles looked down at his shoes, finding the design rather interesting at the movement. Willow stepped forward, drawing Buffy's hazel gaze to her. "Well, the gem isn't the only thing he's interested in." She murmured pointedly

Buffy blanched looking between her friends in shock. "You want me… to… to seduce him?" She queried aghast at the prospect at putting herself in that position again. Didn't they realize how dangerously close she was to falling over the edge and into his clutches?

Giles looked up from his shoes, clearing his throat. "It needn't necessarily go that far. All you need to do is distract him enough to get the gem. And seeing as you don't think fighting him is going to get it done..." Giles trailed off uncomfortably.

"I see." Buffy said with a discontented frown. Slowly she turned and walked towards the door, pausing when Giles called out to her.

"Buffy," She looked over her shoulder at him. "Be careful." Buffy nodded slowly, and walked out the door, leaving her friends and father figure standing uncomfortably, none of them really like the idea, but it was essential that they get the ring back from Angelus.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy frowned as she marched angrily through the daylight her feet leading her towards the mansion. They seemed to think that it was easy for her to be that close to him, and keep a clear line between Angel and Angelus. Not that that mattered, that was one of the major problems with loving both soul and demon. The distinctive line didn't matter in the slightest. Did they expect her to remain steady with all the close and intimate contact she had been having with Angelus lately. The little tryst that had happened between herself and Angelus had only weakened the walls around her heart not strengthened them. Any moment she feared that they were going to come tumbling down.

But she did need to get the gem back. It was too dangerous for Angelus to have in his possession. It was too dangerous for humanity for any vampire to get their hands on that gem. Buffy scowled. Why did Spike have to come into town and find it? The vampiric world had been perfectly happy believing the gem was a myth! Hell she had been perfectly happy not knowing about the mystical grail of the vampire at all! Buffy turned into Crawford street and self consciously smoothed down her clothes and patted her hair, as she got closer to the mansion.

Buffy sighed as she went over in her mind how well sexual persuasion had worked for her with Angelus before. Each time had ended up with her succumbing to Angelus' superior experience. Granted the last time she had been mostly soulless and hadn't minded in the least. A flush stained Buffy's cheeks as she remember vividly pushing Angelus down onto his bed, before straddling him and ripping his shirt open to press heated kisses on his chest, suckling on one of his brown nipples as she felt his hardness brushing against the crotch of her jeans. Buffy shook her head, hopefully this time would be different. She wasn't soulless and she wasn't unprepared for the repercussions this time.

Buffy paused outside the side entrance to the mansion. Taking a deep breath to fortify herself Buffy pushed aside the curtain and stepped inside. Following her senses she walked towards the entrance to the atrium. She saw his shadow long before she saw him and subconsciously she held her breath as she stepped up to the entrance. She froze dumbstruck as she saw Angelus standing in the sun for the first time. Sensing her he turned to look at her, and an amused, yet appreciative smile curved his lips. Slowly Buffy stepped forward her expression full of awe as she walked towards him. She let out the breath she had unknowingly been holding as her arms reached up and she caressed his face with her hands. Holding him with gentle hands as she felt the warmth of the sun heating his normally cool to the touch skin.

She smiled up at him, her purpose momentarily forgotten in her awe at actually seeing him in the sun. "Wow!" She breathed as her thumbs stroked his face as she took in his appearance in the sun. nothing had really changed and yet everything was different. The sun shining in his black hair, heating his skin for him.

Angelus leaned into the warm touch of her hand enjoying the awe he could see in her eyes and expression, even as he felt his own at seeing her bathed in sunlight. He hadn't seen another being in the sun for over two centuries. He reached up and caressed the side of her head, his fingers delving into her hair, that was warmed by the heat of the sun, he hadn't felt it for so long, that he had forgotten that the sun heated ones hair to what could become a painful degree. "You lied to me." He said softly. Bringing Buffy out of her awe induced state, and she bite her lower lips worriedly. "You told me that you didn't look good in direct sunlight."

"Well, I don't." Buffy murmured her thumbs still stroking his cheeks helplessly, but her mind once again focused on her mission.

"Liar." Angelus breathed.

Buffy smiled up at him. Leaning up towards him, she pressed her lips to his. Her arms falling from his face to rest against his chest, to help keep her steady as she stood on her toes. Angelus placed his hands on her waist a small smirk on his lips as he kissed her back with a passion. He knew what she was doing, but he wasn't one to waste an opportunity to feel close to his petite mate to be. After a long moment Buffy pulled away from his lips, her tongue flicking out over her lips tasting him on them. "You don't look to bad in direct sunlight either." Buffy murmured, a very real liquid heat pooling in her abdomen, once again making her think that this way was probably not the best. Angelus dipped down towards her his lips aiming for hers. But seeing him in the sun seemed to have rendered her commonsense temporarily disabled, because she couldn't stop herself from meeting his lips with an equally raging passion.

Without hesitation Angelus shifted his hands so that he was gripping her upper thighs. Buffy moaned as he lifted her against him and instinctively she wrapped her legs around his waist and allowed him to lead her where he may. She had to make him believe that he was in control. When really she was… or at least she was supposed to be! Buffy thought as his talented tongue threatened to make her forget everything, but him. Very soon Buffy found herself being lowered down and she gripped at him strongly in surprise at the sudden change, before relaxing as her back hit the soft mattress of his bed. _'Ok Buffy, remember you're here to get the ring back, not actually have sex with him.'_ Buffy told herself as she looked up at the darkening brown eyes that were staring down at her.

She could feel him pressing her down into his bed. The hardness tenting his leather pants pressing against her intimately and spreading the heat in her abdomen. Buffy moaned as he ground himself against her sending another flash of wet heat through her. Buffy gripped his shoulders with her small hands, as she bit her lower lip struggling to retain her focus against her rising lust. His lips met hers again, and Buffy couldn't help melting into the passionate kiss for a long… long moment, before she seized her self control and used it to force her to roll them over so that she was on top of him. Angelus raised an eyebrow at her and Buffy smiled down at him an adorable nervous quality to it. Buffy dipped down and kissed him timidly at first, before gaining more confidence as he obligingly opened for her, and seemingly got lost in her kiss. It was different for her and kind of nice. She had never really led a kiss with Angel, or Angelus before.

Slowly so as to not alert him to what she was doing she ran one of her hands up his silk covered chest, and over the leather of his duster. Going up his arm she smiled as Angelus moaned underneath her, and she deepened the kiss, her hand pausing as she to for a moment got lost in it. Steeling her resolve Buffy continued up his arm. Her heartbeat quickening as her fingers brushed his wrist. Steadily going up she traced his palm up her fingers brushing the ring that was snuggled around his right ring finger. As soon as her fingers touched it however Angelus hand closed into a tight fist surprising Buffy who broke the kiss her eyes opening as she looked down at him in shock to see his amused/triumphant smile. "You knew?" She gasped accusingly, feeling like a complete fool.

She went to roll off him and the bed, but Angelus moved quicker and quickly rolled them over so that he was effectively pinning her to the bed underneath him. His hands closing around her wrists, and he nuzzled her cheek affectionately. "Now Buff, don't look at me like that. You're the one that came in here all set to seduce me from my prize. And just 'cause I knew, doesn't mean I wasn't enjoying your attentions." He assured her huskily, he ground himself against her pressing his erection into the V of her thighs, making Buffy gasp and he grinned. "See."

Buffy frowned and wriggled her wrists against his hold. "Well, seeing as you know. You may as well get off me." She muttered.

Angelus shook his head teasingly. "I don't want to. You feel good. Your softness pressing against my hardness." Angelus nudged her nose with his own. "Besides it seems like you still haven't quiet learned your lesson."

Buffy eyes widened, and Angelus smirked at her. "Oh now don't look like that either. We both know that you enjoy my attentions." Angelus' expression turned thoughtful. "Maybe that's the problem. You enjoy the lesson to much." Angelus grinned. "Not that I mind."

Angelus dipped down and kissed her again, his mouth working from hers down her cheek to her neck. When he reached her scar he nipped it with his blunt human teeth. "Oh." Buffy exclaimed, before wriggling under him. "Oh, don't Angelus. I just wanted the gem back." She murmured.

Angelus moved away from her neck and smiled down at her teasingly. "Hmm, that's another thing you need another lesson in. Not stealing my things."

Buffy frowned. "You stole it from me!" She growled.

Angelus nodded. "But you stole it from my Childe, so essentially you stole it from me by proxy." Angelus smirked at the annoyed expression on her face, before dipping down to once again gently worry at the scar he had bitten into her neck.

Buffy moaned and arched into him. She didn't understand how the scar was such a large source of pleasure, and it was quickly eradicating her objections. She really, really couldn't afford for this to happen again! The walls guarding her heart were shaky enough. She should have tried fighting him for it first! "Angelus! Angelus, stop." Buffy pleaded, wriggling her hands against the grip he had on her wrists wishing that she could at least attempt to push him away.

Angelus looked up at her. "Why? You're enjoying it." He inhaled deeply. "I can tell."

"Because I don't want you to." Buffy said firmly.

Angelus smirked at her teasingly as he lowered his head again. Placing kisses along the underside of her jaw breathing in the rising scent of her arousal. "Your voice says 'no', but your body says 'yes.'" He mumbled, as Buffy arched into him, and he released her arms.

Immediately her arms flew to his chest, but to her consternation they didn't push him away from her. They just rested there, as his hands rand down her sides, before going up again, his thumbs brushing over her hard nipples through the cloth of her shirt and bra, making Buffy arch up into his touch helpless to physically fight the desires of her body and heart. "Then please listen to my voice." She pleaded weakly.

Angelus gave her a half smile as he licked the scar on her neck. "Why? I find the voice of your body far more interesting right at this moment, and I truly believe that it's the more truthful voice out of the two right now, don't you?" He asked with a wicked grin as he ground himself against her, making Buffy moaned heatedly in answer as she clutched at his shoulders with her hands.

With a swift movement Angelus relieved Buffy of her shirt, leaving her in just her lacy bra that did nothing to hide the stiff peaks of her nipples. Angelus groaned in heated desire. "See look at them. There both just begging me for attention. Would you really deny them that lover?" He asked, not wanting for an answer he tweaked both her nipples firmly, before rolling them between the knuckles of his fingers. Smiling in satisfaction as Buffy moaned once again, her hazel eyes looking up at him, their depths deepening to a deep jade as her pupils expanded in her lust. Angelus dipped down so that his mouth was resting by her left ear. "This isn't going to be quick lover. I'm going to take my time with you today." He licked the shell of her ear, causing Buffy to shiver in pleasure. "I think a lengthy exploration is long overdue don't, you think?" Buffy moaned at the carnal promise behind his huskily spoken words.

Lifting her back off of the mattress Angelus reached behind her unclasping her bra, before lowering her back down the mattress. Pulling her bra away from her he carelessly tossed it to the side. His eyes focused hungrily on her breasts. He licked his lips, before dipping down capturing the small hard peak in between his teeth, he scrapped it, gently as his hand came up to play with her neglected nipple. Buffy moaned as she felt his wet mouth envelope her nipple, his teeth grazing it, as his cool tongue soothed the sensitive peak. Buffy's hands clenched and unclenched on his shoulders, as the last her resistance faded away as his mouth switched nipples as his opposite hand came up to tend to the wet and swollen nipple that was aching for his attention.

After a moment Buffy's hands moved from his shoulders to his buttons, hurriedly beginning to undo them. "I want… I want to feel you." She breathed as he eyes closed helplessly as he took her entire breast into his mouth. Her hands pausing in their endeavour to feel his bare skin, after moment they started again, hurrying to get the buttons out of the little holes that had been sown into the silk shirt for them. Finally getting the last button undone, Buffy yanked the material out from his leather pants, before her hands forgot about the material all together as they got lost in the smooth muscled plains of his chest. Her own fingers finding and tweaking his nipples, pulling on them gentle as she playfully twisted them, and ran her nails over them, making Angelus give a rumbling growl, that sent shivers through her.

Her hands moved around to his sides slowly closing around his back one hand roughly tracing the outline of the griffin tattoo she knew was there. Buffy moaned in disappointment as Angelus's mouth and hands moved away from her breasts, slowly travelling down her toned stomach. He paused his body tightening in anger as he took note of the light healing bruise formations on her belly, and if he had been looking he would have found pole shaped ones on her back. Angelus forced himself to relax, silently promising to punish his youngest Childe when next he saw him. Angelus kissed the bruises moving down, and he smiled as he felt Buffy's belly pull away from him and her sharp inhale of breath. With gentle kisses he kissed around her belly, the sounds of Buffy's muffled giggles reaching his ears even as the scent of her arousal grew.

Circling his tongue around her belly button, Angelus dipped his tongue into her navel in a mock action of what he intended to do with his straining erection. Buffy's hands caressed his back as he moved lower, his mouth kissing along her abdomen, as his exploration was halted by the waistline of her jeans. He kissed his way back up her body, his mouth pressing passionate kisses to her mouth, before pulling away completely. "Should we take the last of your clothes off lover?" He asked, wanting to her hear say that she wanted him. A part of him needing to hear her say it. Buffy looked up at him with lust darkened eyes and she nodded. Angelus kissed her cheek, before moving down to her ear. "Say it, lover."

"Y-yes. Take them off." Buffy murmured huskily arching her hips off the bed obligingly. Angelus smiled down at her, before his mouth settled over hers again. That part of himself satisfied. 

His hands went down to her pants undoing the snaps, before easing them down her hips, and over and off her legs. Throwing them to the side her jeans landed in a heap on the rug. Buffy's hands went back to the leather duster and his shirt pulling them off his arms the best she could whilst his hands were otherwise busy. Obligingly Angelus pulled his duster and silk shirt down his arms and off him throwing those to the floor to. Buffy's eyes focused on his completely bared chest and she luxuriated in the feel of his cool skin against her warm hands. Angelus moved his hands back down to her hips, his fingers hooking under the elastic of her panties. Slowly he pulled them down her hips and over the toned, but soft flesh of her legs until finally slipping them over her small feet. He glanced at them smirking as he saw the deep dark wet patch staining them. Throwing them to the floor, Angelus worked his way back down her body, and Buffy watched him with lusty curious eyes as he trailed down her breasts and belly and abdomen, finally placing a heated kiss to the dark blond curls that guarded her mound.

Buffy's eyes widened as she realized what he was planning to do. She felt heat pool once again in her abdomen, at the thought of his mouth over her. She felt and saw him nudge her thighs further apart so that they nestled his broad shoulders, the position exposing her completely to his gaze. Buffy tilted her head back as she felt one of his fingers stroke against the lips of her pussy, before parting her folds. She felt his unneeded breath against her heated flesh and she moaned in anticipation remembering how good this had felt the last time, despite being tightly tied to a chair. She let out a keening moan as his mouth settled over her, his tongue flicking out tasting her juices as they coated her pussy, his tongue lightly flicking over her clit as he did so. Buffy arched her hips against his lips hoping for a stronger touch, but he moved down, licking at her slit, before circling his tongue teasingly around her entrance. "Oh." Buffy murmured as he didn't enter, but went back up teasing her clit with feather light licks, before going back down, and circling her entrance again, except this time he did thrust his tongue in, licking up the juices just inside her sheath, going nowhere near deep enough.

Buffy's hands went to his head holding him close as she rolled her hips as the cord in her belly began to tighten. Angelus' hands went to her hips holding her still, making Buffy whine in discontent. Looking up from his position his chin covered in her juices, her smirked at her wickedly. "All in good time Buff, all in good time." Angelus went back to her pussy breathing on her, watching in fascination as her entrance clenched once in hungry desire in response to his teasing. Working her steadily higher as he clutched her hips to keep her still, he felt her hands tightening in his hair, pulling even as her head arched back as his tongue once again penetrated her, before withdrawing to tap at her clit. Buffy let out a high keening noise that echoed throughout the mansion as she came harshly white lights blinding her as her fevered body fell over the edge after what had to have been hours of pleasurable torment.

Angelus sat back on his haunches as he watched Buffy lie on his bed sated her eyes closed a lazy smile on her face, as sweat coated her upper lip in a light sheen as well as the rest of her body. With efficient movement Angelus revealed himself of his leather pants finally freeing his aching cock from the confining leather confines of his pants. Tossing them away, Angelus crawled back up Buffy's body. Angelus peppered kisses over her face, and lips, causing Buffy to open her eyes to look up at him. He grinned down at her. "Ready for more, Buff?"

Buffy's eyes widened. "More?" She squeaked her body trembling in sudden re-awoken desire as she glanced down between their bodies to see his hard shaft.

Angelus chuckled and kissed her lips once again. "Yes, more. I'm hardly finished with you yet." He murmured.

Buffy sighed as he kissed her again, responding passionately as she felt the tip of him pressing against the folds of her pussy, easily slipping between them in her wetness. Buffy moaned as she felt the tip of him at her entrance and she kissed him hungrily, her arms wrapping around him as her legs parted further in expectation. She cried out helplessly as he thrust into her, his thickness stretching her tight sheath. Angelus kissed down her neck worrying her scar again, as his fingers played with her hard nipples as he began a steady pace inside her. His eyes falling closed as he savoured the feel of her surrounding him her heat threatening to burn him like the holy crosses that could no longer do him any damage. Not whilst the ring with the gem of Amara set in it rested on his finger.

Buffy clutched at him as they danced the rhythm older than time itself. They moved in perfect sync as Buffy clutched at him tightly her legs wrapped around his hips as she met his every thrust, her mouth gapping wide as she fought to take in air as her passion grew and the cord within her tightened to an unbearable pitch, making her tremble with the need for release. "Oh, please Angelus. Don't stop." Buffy swallowed thickly. "Don't stop." She pleaded as she arched against him hard pressing her clit into his pelvic bone as he thrust back into her sending her over the edge with a loud wordless cry. Angelus felt her heated silken walls spasm around him as she came her body going limp underneath his as she road out her orgasm. Angelus continued to thrust into her building her up again, his eyes glowing amber as he fought the urge to shift into his demonic face as her sheath clutched around him as he worked her up again. Not wanting to be too tempted to sink his fangs into her neck, and making the scar on her neck into a real mating mark, the urge was already great enough as it was, and she wasn't ready for that.

He watched as Buffy's head rocked from side to side on his feather pillows wordless cries escaping her lips as she climbed higher and higher the cord inside her tightening far quicker than before. Angelus felt his balls tightening, signalling his own release. Slipping one of his hands between their driving bodies, he massaged her clit, all it took was a touch and Buffy arched up off the bed crying out in a slightly hoarse voice as she fell over the edge into bliss again. Her release triggered his, her walls spasming around him, squeezing him so strongly for a second time sent him plummeting into his own orgasm. He thrust into her deeper, his body moving on instinct as he shot his dead seed up into her warm and waiting womb. The need to try to procreate still imbedded inside him, despite the fact that he knew very well that he could never have children, at least not ones that came from his loins.

Angelus collapsed on top of her breathing hard. Buffy's hands rested on his sides and after a moment, when she felt she could move she tapped him to get his attention. "A little difficult to breath when your crushing me." She muttered.

Immediately Angelus rolled to the side groaning as the action caused him to slip out of her, his entire body already missing her warmth. His eyes turned from the ceiling to look at her as she lay splayed out on his bed breathing hard from their exertions, his own breathing he noted wasn't exactly calm either. His eyes fell to her breasts as they rose up and down with her panted breathes, her nipples still peaked, still begging for his attention.

Angelus smirked as he felt himself stir once again, sometimes vampire stamina had its perks. Buffy moved to roll out of the bed to get dressed and leave despite the fact that her limbs still felt like they were made out of a flimsy unsteady cotton. She really needed to leave. She was halted however as Angelus pounced on her. His weight settling onto her back pressing her once again in to the mattress, her eyes widening as she felt him once again hard and pulsing against her thigh. "Where do you think you're going, lover?" Angelus purred in her ear, his voice playful and lusty, making Buffy's lips begin to curve up in an affectionate smile against her will.

"Back to my dorm." She answered wiggling a little testing her chances of getting away.

Angelus tightened his hold on her, keeping her pinned to the bed, as he kissed the back of her neck travelling up and down the rounded curve that connected her neck to her shoulder. "But we've hardly gotten started, Buff."

Buffy turned her head so that she could look back at him. "You can't expect to keep me here for the rest of the day!" She exclaimed her core clenched traitorously at the thought.

Angelus grinned. "Oh I expect to keep you well entertained throughout the night, lover." Buffy's eyes widened in surprise even as she felt heat pool in her abdomen once again, and before she could say anything Angelus took possession of her lips and all too soon she was melting into his kiss, and turning so that she could hold him closer, her body shifting to accommodate him as he thighs nestled his hips as she felt his hard cock pressing teasingly against the lips of her pussy.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

In a dark room of the first floor chained to the wall Parker looked up at the sounds of a woman's pleasured cries once again filled the mansion, and he shook his head. _'What was the guy made of to be able to just keep going, and going?'_ He thought enviously even as he shivered in fear. He had no idea where he was all he remembered was seeing Buffy's boyfriend and then nothing, but blackness until he woke up here chained to a cold stone wall in a cold room. _'Did that mean the women who was crying out in ecstasy was Buffy? If that was the case, no wonder she hadn't been interested. She probably got more then she could possibly handle from her boyfriend why would she want more?'_

Parker shivered and looked around attempting to pierce the thick blackness with his eyes, wanting to see the room he was being kept in. But as before he couldn't see anything.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy opened the door to her dorm room early the next morning that place between her legs feeling a little sore after her night and half a day with Angelus. Willow looked up from her book having been sitting up worried as hell, her eyes widened as she took in Buffy's appearance the rumpled clothes, and ruffled hair, and swollen lips and half lidded tired eyes practically screamed 'sex' and lots of it. Willow set down her book and sat up straighter on her bed. "What happened? Did you get it?"

Buffy wandered slowly into the dorm shutting the door behind her with a careless bang, not caring at that moment about their next door neighbours. She slowly shook her head as she stumbled towards her bed, flopping down on it.

"What happened?" Buffy repeated, with a funny smile on her face as she stared tiredly up at the ceiling. "Well, let's see I got to the mansion, I attempted to seduce him, but ended up being the seduced." Buffy chuckled dryly. "He saw me coming from a mile away. So I spent the entire night and yesterday afternoon getting the brains fucked out of me." Buffy glanced over at Willow. "And it was good… more than good… it was really too good for my sanity. And now I plan to sleep all day, and hell will have no fury compared to mine if some poor sorry bastard wakes me up." Buffy mumbled, her eyes beginning to close.

"So no ring?" Willow asked.

"No ring… not even close to getting the ring." Buffy confirmed as she turned away from the red head.

Willow swallowed nervously, the last thing she had really expected was for Angelus to keep Buffy prisoner for hours whilst fucking her, but then he was Angelus, since when did he do what they expected, and he had been acting a little weird lately in regards to Buffy. "Uh, Buffy?" Willow said nervously.

"What?" The petite blond moaned.

"You have classes today." Willow told her.

Buffy groaned and shook her head. "Nu-uh. You have classes. I have sleep. Take notes for me in psych would ya." Buffy mumbled.

"Uh, sure." Willow agreed already planning to go to all of Buffy's class teachers that day and get the petite blonds work.

Buffy pulled her sheets up over her tired form as she yawned tiredly, her body completely lax with physical exhaustion. Despite the fact that a worry gnawed at her. She had spent the entire night with Angelus in his bed, and it was the most tender he had ever been with her. His lips pressing against her, exploring her body, it almost felt like being made love to, except that he didn't love her, so it couldn't be called making love, but it had felt like it. It had felt like the real deal, it had felt like her one time with Angel, except he wasn't Angel so it shouldn't be possible! But despite all that it had awoken the hope inside her again and right now she was too tired to try and squash it inside of her. She feared that she might not be able to this time, her heart felt like it was on the mend, that the tiny pieces where once again starting to glue together and it terrified her. More than she would ever admit. She didn't think she could survive another heartbreak as severe as what Angelus could give her.

More to the point she didn't want to feel it again! Tears leaked from under Buffy's closed eyelids as she drifted closer to sleep. And she feared that, that was exactly where she was heading. That she was setting herself up for another trip to Heartbreak City, a place that she was quiet quickly become a regular of.

**A/N:** Ok once again sorry for the long wait on this one, but musie was torn between this story and her new one 'The flipside of love' but I finally got it out and I'd appreciate hearing what you think of the latest chapter. I know and I'm sorry that there wasn't any of the promised Parker torture in this chapter, but it'll be in the next. I just thought that ending scene with Buffy was a good place to end it.

The Parker torture scene will be one of the scenes in the next chapter, promise :D Anyway let me know what you think of the chapter and I'll try to have the next one out sooner :D


	4. Chapter 4 fear, itself

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or any of the characters mentioned in the cannon.

**A/N:** A big, huge thank you goes out to everyone who reviewed last chapter your response was seriously awesome! I'm sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out, but musie is waiting on the complete series of Angel to come into give her a better foundation on the later chapters that she has planned and that put a small crimp in her writing for this story, but we're both hoping that it'll be in soon to refresh our memory.

Anyway only one warning for this chapter and that's the Parker torture scene :D Which I know most of you have been hanging out for lol. Please enjoy.

**CHAPTER 4**

**Fear, itself**

Angelus walked from his bathroom having just had a shower. The scent of his future mate still covering him, just like his scent was covering her, letting other vamps and demons know that she was his just as much as the scar on her neck. Angelus walked over to his wardrobe and grabbed a fresh pair of leather pants. Pulling them up he frowned slightly, he desperately wanted to claim her as his mate, bite into the soft flesh of her jugular again biting deeper creating the mating bond between them… well as much as a mating bond they could manage until Buffy had a set of fangs of her own. Another thing that would take a long while, and he had a strong feeling that getting her consent to turn her would be the hardest and longest battle of wills between them ever, but he had patience. All he had to do was take it one step at a time.

Angelus shrugged on a white muscle fine cotton shirt, not wanting to get any of his silk shirts dirty with the boy's blood. He'd ruined a fair few silk shirts recently, he'd have to restock. Angelus smirked as he turned and head for the door. He was going to enjoy every moment of Parker Abrams pain. He'd kept the boy waiting after he had woken up a few hours after the sun had risen above the sky, delighting in the fear and uncertainty the boy was spreading through the mansion. And then when he thought he might go down and begin his fun Buffy had come to him. Angelus smiled in contentment as he remembered seeing her in the sun for the first time with his own eyes. The look of awe on her face as she had approached him, the sun beating down on them.

Angelus looked down at his right hand his eyes focused on the ring with the green gem set init. It was all thanks to the little gem on his finger. He knew that once word got out that gem truly did exist and that he had it, that he'd be a target for any vampire with delusions of grandeur. That didn't bother him though, whatever vamp was dumb enough to challenge him for the ring he could handle. The only thing that had him slightly worried was the very real chance that Buffy would make another attempt for the ring. He was sure he could handle it, but he didn't want to hurt her anymore than he already had over the last couple of years. He needed to start building her trust in him and physically harming her, no matter how many times he assured her that he didn't want to, was not the way to go about it. Actions spoke louder than a thousand words, it was just a damned shame that most of his had been quiet damning to his new cause.

Turning his thoughts away from his girl Angelus headed for his bedroom door and made his way down the hall towards the stairs. Whistling a jaunty tune as he went a prospective torture always stirred his blood, but this one went deeper. The little puke had gone after his mate and on top of that had tried to drug her, leaving her helpless. Angelus whistle cut off abruptly as an angry growl rumbled through him. The only being Buffy was allowed to be helpless against was him! Stalking down the last of the stairs. Walking across the room he had entered Angelus made his way towards the dungeon like room he was keeping the boy in. Angelus could hear the boys heartbeat getting louder as he got closer and closer. It was a basically calm rhythm, but his scent was still drenched in the boy's terror and uncertainty. Angelus smirked his brown eyes shining with anticipation. He'd soon have the boys heart beating so fast the boy would think it would explode, but not fast enough to induce cardiac arrest. Oh no that maybe painful… but it was over far too quickly, and he intended to visit a whole lot more pain on the boy then that.

Angelus walked without his normal stealth, allowing his footsteps to echo off the stone under his feet. And immediately he heard the boys heartbeat pick up, and he could just imagine the sudden jolt the boy would have given at finally hearing the sound of someone coming towards him. Without hesitation Angelus started to whistle again a jaunty old Irish ditty that he could still remember like it was yesterday. It was a song that drunks normally sung, which meant back in the day he had sung it a lot. Waiting a moment outside the door, completely quiet he listened to the sound of the chains rattling as the boy shifted his position in the chamber. Reaching out a hand he placed it against the door knob, before turning it and opening up the door as he whistled the last couple of notes to the ditty.

He smirked cruelly as Parker looked at him with wide brown eyes that were both angry and fear ridden. Angelus stepped into the room calmly and shut the door behind him. Calmly walking further into the room, his eyes moving from Parker who had no doubt noted that they somewhat glowed in the dark. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a box of matches. Opening it he pulled one out and lit it, the scrapping sound of the match against the side of the box sounding loudly in the room. It was the only other sound apart from the boys loud breathing. Walking to the oil lamp closest to him Angelus turned the small lever, before lifting off the glass covering and putting the flame to it. Once the flame caught to the wick Angelus replaced the glass covering and blew out the match. Dropping it to the ground Angelus moved over to the next oil lamp lining the chamber wall, repeating the process over and over until every lamp was lit and the chamber was revealed completely to Parker's gaze.

Parker looked around his gaze, skirting from place to place. The room was larger than he had originally thought, the darkness having played tricks with his eyes, and on more than one occasion had made it seem like the walls were closing in on him. He took in a large steel table four chains with manacles attached to the end that wasn't welded to the table. His eyes went to the walls weapons of various kinds and sizes where attached to them, each artfully displayed and looking like they could cause serious harm. Not wanting to see anymore of the large chamber Parker turned his eyes back to Angelus who was looking at him waiting patiently for him to finish observing his surroundings.

Angelus seeing that he had the boy's full attention smirked enjoying the fear he could scent rising in the room. "I hope you like your quarters. I set this room up with you in mind." Angelus told his voice indicating that he thought it was greatest honour in the world.

Parker glared at him his fear as fear so often does turning into anger, a protective mechanism. "What in the hell do you want with me?" Parker yelled jerking at his chains.

Angelus raised an eyebrow at him. "What do I want from you?" Angelus parroted as he stepped towards him his steps light, but menacing as he slowly, carelessly closed the distance between them. "Nothing. The real question is what did you want from my mate?"

Parker looked at him confused. "I don't know any of your mates." He said definitely.

Angelus chuckled, the sound menacing in Parker's ears, and before the boy knew it Angelus was gripping him by the neck lifting from his spot on the ground and pressing him against the wall. "My girl, my lover. Boy. I know you know her. You made no attempt to hide the fact that you were panting after her. A rather stupid mistake on your part."

Angelus let him go and parker crumpled back to the cold ground with a thud, as Angelus stepped back from him. "You're crazy!" Parker cried a despairing anger colouring his tone.

Angelus cocked his head as he continued to move away from the fallen boy. "Crazy? No. I'm not crazy. I've been crazy boy, and this is nothing like it. If I was still crazy… you'd be dead already." Angelus smirked. "No boy. You're going to be alive for a long while yet, and I can promise you long before were half way through your going to be cursing the day you heard the name Buffy Summers and to far after that you'll wish that the bitch that brought your squalling carcass into this world had never gotten pregnant with you. But you won't die until I'm good and ready to kill you."

Angelus walked to the far end of the room on the opposite side to the door and picked up a long metal stick with a blunt cylinder end, a handle on the other which Angelus gripped and used to twirl the old metal fire poker. "You'd never guess how many common house hold items can be used to cause a significant amount of pain. Take this fire poker for example. There's practically one in every home with an open fireplace. Now if you stick it in the fire and leave it there. It becomes a red hot branding tool. Of course it wouldn't be a very interesting design, but it'd still hurt like hell." Angelus swiped the air with the poker, making Parker flinch as the poker passed within inches of his face. "But even when it's cool to the touch, it can be used to cause pain." Angelus smirked. "And I don't mean the kind that often results in instant death via being bashed over the head with it."

Parker looked at the poker with wide eyes, before glancing up at his abductors face. "Please I won't tell anyone that you kidnapped me, just let me go!"

Angelus chuckled. "Begging already, boy? We haven't even gotten to the good stuff yet." Angelus shook his head. "And you thought to get into my girls pants." Angelus gave him a mocking look over. "She's far too much woman for you to handle."

Parker scowled insulted. "There's no woman that I can't handle. Once that little bitch Buffy had a taste of me. She'd be down on her knees begging me to fuck her again and again. I'm sure she would have forgotten all about you." He sneered.

Angelus growled loudly the sound echoing throughout the room. Moving forward in a quick movement the poker clattering to the stone floor, Angelus grabbed Parker about the neck once again, his face shifting in his anger. "Wrong thing to say, boy." He growled.

Parker's eyes widened so much that they looked like saucers, as he took in Angelus' demonic face. The smooth handsome features of the man having disappeared completely, and instead he was faced with hard ridges and amber eyes that seemed to pierce him with fear all the way down to the core of his being. Angelus yanked him forward so strongly that he almost yanked the chains from the wall and as it was the harsh yank caused Parker no small amount of pain. "What are you doing?" Parker demanded to know as Angelus pulled the pin from one of the cuffs encircling his wrists releasing that arm.

Angelus met his eyes and smirked. "You look uncomfortable all cramped up against the wall here. I'm gonna let you stretch out all those nasty kinks that I know have to be cramping your muscles." He growled. Even though the words weren't necessarily a bad thing, but the way Angelus said it, let Parker know without a doubt that it would be no good thing for him, even though the thought of being able to stretch his cramped legs should have sounded heavenly.

Angelus released the pin to skewering the boy's other wrist to the wall, and the cuff fell away, hitting the ground with a loud clang like the other one. Grabbing a hold of Parkers shirt Angelus hauled the struggling boy to his feet and dragged him towards the shiver metal table that Parker had taken note of. Angelus threw the boy onto the table, easily pinning the boy down when he tried to get off the table. "Let go of me! You crazy bastard! What in the hell is your problem?" Parker shouted as he struggled against the one hand that Angelus had planted on his chest, not understanding why he couldn't break free when it didn't even seem like the taller man was having any trouble holding him down at all. "She's just another piece of ass man."

Angelus growled and put more pressure against the boys chest a small satisfied smirk curving his lips when he heard the sound of a small crack of one of the boys ribs. "She's my mate boy. And if you're not careful I'll rip your tongue right out of your mouth. I'm sure you'll still be able to scream quiet effectively without it."

Using his free hand Angelus grabbed one of the boys arms and pulled it out to the side, stretching it out as far as it would go. Letting up on the boys chest, he grabbed the cuff attached to the chain resting on the large slab of a table and fastened it to the boys wrist. Parker jerked at the chain and winced in pain as the harsh cold metal drove into his skin unyieldingly. He went to roll off the table, but he moved to late, as Angelus had already moved around the table, and the second Parker went to roll Angelus grabbed his other arm and held him pinned down whilst he attached the other cuff. Satisfied that his prey could escape him Angelus took his time in capturing Parker wildly flailing legs. His bare feet grubby and cold. It didn't take long for Angelus to completely subdue the boy to the table.

Parker let out a straining yell as he tried to rip himself free whilst Angelus walked over to where he had dropped the poker. Picking it up he made his way back over to the struggling boy. He immediately stopped moving as he saw Angelus holding the poker. His chest heaving with his panted breaths as his fear rose. "Oh shit! What are you gonna do man!" Parker cried as Angelus came to a stop beside his helplessly strapped down body. The cold hard metal of the table digging into his back, Angelus twirled the metal poker in his hand and he smiled at the body cruelly. "Don't worry. It's not gonna kill you." He sneered before pulling the poker back sharply, the tip pointed in the direction of his groin area.

"Oh fuck!" Parker cried fearfully as he watched with terrified brown eyes. Angelus thrust the poker down with a powerful lunge of his arm. His smile widening as he drive the poker deep into Parker's flesh just to the side of his hip bone, close to his abdomen. Parker's scream rent the air, before he clenched his mouth shut accidentally biting down powerfully on his tongue and blood filled his mouth.

Angelus looked up at the new scent of blood and saw the blood spilling over the corners of the boy's mouth. Angelus sighed exasperatedly. "You know that's not how this whole torturer, torturee thing works. I'm the torturer causes the bodily harm. The torturee screams and cries and begs for their miserable little lives. And trust me you will beg, even if you have bitten your tongue off." Moving up closer to the head Angelus reached out and grabbed the boys bottom jaw and pried his mouth open with ridiculous ease as the boy struggled to keep his mouth closed terrified of what the monster was planning to do. Angelus inspected the wound with detached eyes. "Well you didn't bite your tongue off, but you've managed to puncture a few holes in your tongue for a guy without any fangs." Angelus forced the boys head to the side. "Keep your head like this and let the blood dribble out. And don't worry you can't bleed to death with only a couple of punctures in your tongue."

Parker felt tears well in his eyes, before they rolled down his cheeks to mingle with the blood that was beginning to slow as the his blood began to clot as his white blood cells worked to heal the wounds slowly, but steadily, of course if he survived he'd always have two punctures in his tongue. The scent of the boys urine reached his nose, but Angelus wasn't surprised a lot if not all of his torture victims lost control of their bladder amidst the pain there body was suffering. It was always worse when they lost control of their bowels. It was a foul smell especially for someone with a sensitive nose such as himself. It was then that he normally got his minions to clean up the mess whilst he let his victim rest for round two… but not always… and somehow he didn't think he'd be leaving Parker alive. When he left this chamber… Parker would be dead, and he'd know that he should have never tried to make a move on his Buffy. Even if the lessen was learned a little too late to benefit him in anyway.

Parker groaned and Angelus looked up at him sharply, before smiling. "Now don't lose consciousness on me yet, boy. We're only just getting started." Angelus promised him and Parker's pain filled eyes looked at him fearfully. Sweat already covering his body from the pain his body was feeling, both injuries a continuous burning throb that echoed throughout his entire body. Angelus strolled over to a table in the back corner and began wheeling it over. Oh how he loved the invention of the wheel it made things that much easier for him. Parker watched with wide eyes as the table was wheeled over. Angelus stopped near Parker's face making sure the table was in his line of sight. Angelus picked up a deliberately dull knife, a sharp one would make to quicker job of what he planned next, and the longer it took the more pain the boy would feel.

Angelus held the blade comfortably in his hand, it was small, the size of a pocket knife. "Now. You wanted to fuck my girl didn't you? Wanted to feel what it was like to feel her silken walls around your cock, didn't you boy." Parker's eyes widened and he desperately shook his head, as a horrid understanding of just what this monster wanted to do with the knife. "Are you saying that you didn't boy?" Angelus asked accusingly, not expecting an answer and he didn't receive one. "Because I happen to know for a fact that you did, I could smell it all over you every time you were near my mate." Angelus growled, and Parker let out a terrified cry and his body jerked instinctively as Angelus moved down the table towards his legs. _'Oh God no! This had to be a nightmare! Please God it had to be!'_ Parker thought, just as he felt his jeans ripped away leaving him in only his white, stained shorts, which were soon also disposed of.

Angelus looked at the boy's bared flesh with a raised eyebrow before looking up at the boy. "You thought you'd be able to pleasure my mate with this?" Angelus scoffed. "I doubt she'd even feel you penetrating her." He mocked even as rage filled him at the thought of the boy's tiny dick anywhere near his mate. Clutching the knife in his hand firmer Angelus felt a sense of calm return. Very soon the boy wouldn't have a dick to be near his mate with…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

A few hours later Angelus washed his hands in a basin a minion standing to the side with a fresh jug of water just in case it was needed, as Angelus waited for the boy to wake up. Parker having slipped to unconsciousness about half an hour ago. Angelus listened to the boy's heartbeat making sure he was still alive. He was rather proud of his handy work with the boy that had been chasing after his mate's skirts and had even sort to drug her when she hadn't fallen for his well practised charms. Of course he wouldn't be able to leave his body artfully displayed for someone to find, it wouldn't do well at all for his campaign to win Buffy's heart if anything it would send him right back to the beginning. Not somewhere he wanted to be, when it came to winning his mate over.

Angelus smiled as he heard the boy groan as he came back to consciousness. Taking up a cloth that was beside the basin on the small table Angelus wiped his hands down. Throwing the cloth back on the table he approached the broken body of Parker Abrams. His eyes widened in fear when Angelus came back into his line of sight, his face now back to the smooth features of the man he'd first saw, but that did nothing to ease his fear. "You know Abrams I've been thinking." Angelus informed him as he toyed with the one unused item on the table a sharp clean hunting knife. "There is something that I wanted from you." Parker's eyes widened more if that were possible. Angelus looked the boy right in the eyes as he smirked cruelly nothing about him showing the mercy, but still Parker made a pitiful last attempt at pleading for his life making sounds in the back of his throat as his swollen tongue refused to help him out in anyway speech wise. His throat raw and dry from all his screaming. His mouth full of the taste of his own blood.

Angelus' smirk only got crueller fully understanding that the boy was trying to plead for his life. It was all in the eyes. Clasping the hunting knife in his hand properly Angelus brought the knife away from the table it had been resting on. "Your life." He finished just as he brought the knife up and pressed it against Parkers neck. Parker didn't dare move as he stared wide eyed up at his torture, he made one last pitiful pleading sound in the back of his throat that sounded suspiciously like 'please'. Angelus pressed the knife more firmly against Parker's neck drawing fresh blood on the boy's otherwise unmarred neck, before sliding it across the boy's neck firmly easily cutting through the boy's windpipe to make a deep laceration.

Angelus blinked in reflex as he was hit by the arterial spray. Angelus stepped back as the boys heartbeat stuttered to a stop and his head lolled lifelessly to the side. Angelus sighed and turned away, there was no need for the fresh jug of water now, he'd have to have a shower and wash the traces of blood off of himself. Angelus turned to look at the minion. He was about to tell him to clean up, when he noticed the minions eyes on his ring. Angelus snarled and lunged forward. Clasping his hand around the minions throat he had him slammed against a wall in a matter of seconds.

"If I see you eyeing off my ring again. Bobby, I'll have you gutted and dusted, before you could say 'traitor.'" Angelus growled, before releasing him. Stepping back Angelus looked at his minion with had eyes. "Now clean up this mess and dispose of the body where nobody will find it." Angelus demanded, before sweeping past the minion who looked after him, for a moment, before turning to his chores with a despondent sigh. He really, really hated being a minion!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy lay on her stomach on Xander's bed a pumpkin in front of her, as Xander, Willow and Oz sat on the on the bed around her. Buffy's eyes focused on her pumpkin a melancholy expression on her face. Xander frowned at his pumpkin disappointment filling him as he observed the face he had painstakingly carved into it. "I don't know, I was going for ferocious, scary, but it's coming out more dryly sardonic." Xander stated turning the pumpkin round so that Willow and Oz could see.

"It does appear to be mocking you with its eye holes." Willow agreed with a small shrug.

"The nose howl seems sad and full of self-loathing." Oz commented in his usual monotone as he observed the pumpkin face Xander had carved.

Xander turned the pumpkin once again so that the face was facing Buffy. "What do you think, Buff?" He asked hoping to draw the blond out of her melancholy.

Buffy didn't take her eyes off her untouched pumpkin. "I was just thinking about the life of a pumpkin." She murmured her heart sitting heavily in her chest as it cried out at her piteously, conjuring the face of Angelus, pleading with her. "Grow up in the sun, happily entwined with others," Buffy frowned and felt tears threaten to spill, but she forced them back. "Then somebody comes along, cuts you open and rips your guts out." She finished sadly, feeling a quiet affinity with pumpkin. It's life in the Halloween season very much resembled her own.

"Okay." Xander exclaimed turning his pumpkin back to face him, before looking at Willow and Oz. "And on that happy note, I've got a treat for tomorrow night's second annual Halloween screening." He looked around his small gathering of friends again noting that Buffy was looking at her pumpkin with the same sad quiet intensity as she had since the moment the pumpkin was placed down in front of her.

"People, prepare to have your spines tingled, your gooses bumped by the terrifying," Xander leaned over and pulled a VCR from a plastic bag and looked at the cover. "Fantasia." Xander's smile fell as he did a double take. "Fantasia?" He questioned, shocked, having been certain that he had gotten the right video when he had been in the store earlier.

Oz shrugged. "Maybe it's because of all the horrific things we've seen, but hippos wearing tutus just doesn't unnerve me the way it used to."

Xander scowled at the VCR. "Phantasm. It was supposed to be Phantasm. Stupid video store!" Xander muttered dropping the movie on the bed.

Willow shrugged. "I thought we were doing the Alpha Delta thing?"

Xander looked at her surprised. "What thing?" He asked looking around at his friends for some answers. Why hadn't he known about the Alpha Delta thing?

"The scary house?" Buffy questioned dully. "Sounds kinda lame." She muttered. She dealt with scary things all the time, why would she want to deal with them on her one night off? Speaking of scary things, what was Angelus doing right now?... Buffy gave herself a mental shake, she really had to stop that!

"It actually borders on fun." Oz informed her. "You go through the scary house maze to get to the party. Which is usually worth getting to, those guys go all out."

"As witnessed last Friday." Willow agreed.

"Very true." Oz nodded with the barest hint of a smile touching his lips.

"There's a party?" Xander asked incredulously.

"We didn't tell you?" Willow asked dubiously, she'd sworn that she had… or that at least one of them would have.

"No it's cool." Xander said with raised hands, trying to act cool and unaffected by the whole thing. "You guys got your little college thing. I'm fine. I mean, I got better things to Dothan tag along to some Fraternity." Xander lied, even as a small shudder went through him as he remembered the last time he'd attended a Fraternity party, he did not appreciate the makeup, or the bra or the stupid looking wig!

"You can come." Willow invited, seeing right through Xander's poor performance of nonchalance.

"Ok!" Xander agreed with a smile. "But only because I lied about having better things to do." He assured them.

"A blast will be had by all." Oz informed them.

Buffy's who's eyes had fallen back to her untouched pumpkin sighed sadly. "I'm gonna get going." She told them flatly, as she stood up on the bed.

"Now?" Xander asked surprised. "Tonight's still…" Xander looked down at his watch, and revised his statement. "Ok, it's a little mature, but still."

"I'm sleepy." Buffy lied. "You guys have fun." She encouraged as she dropped the knife she hadn't been able to bring herself to use on the poor defenceless pumpkin. Walking off the bed and onto the basement floor, of Xander's room.

"You want me to come?" Willow asked, wanting to be there if Buffy needed to unload.

Buffy shook her head as she headed towards the stairs that lead to the way out of the basement room. "No I'm fine."

Xander shook his head as he heard the door shut behind Buffy. "Sad Buffy."

"She didn't even touch her pumpkin." Willow said with a small gesture towards the pumpkin that was supposed to be Buffy's. "It's a freak with no face." She murmured sadly feeling bad for the left out pumpkin.

"She's still suffering a little post-Angelus depression." Oz said calmly although a small concerned frown marred his face as he thought of the pain the petite blond must be going through.

Xander frowned as old jealousies stirred inside him as he remembered Buffy telling them of her failure to get the ring back. "Seducing the Buff. Does anyone else want to smack that guy?" Xander asked conveniently forgetting that it had been them that had come up with the idea that had led to Buffy's most recent seduction at Angelus' hands. Willow and Xander raised their hands immediately.

Oz hesitated a moment, before raising his own, but for a slightly different reason as he again silently wondered of the true feelings that Angelus felt for Buffy, and Buffy for Angelus… things just didn't add up to him… and the more he thought about it the more he came to believe that they loved each other… Angelus having realized it sometime during their graduation from high school, and Buffy… he wasn't sure, but he had a feeling she felt it, but fought it… and he couldn't say that he blamed her. But one thing was for sure… if the dark demon managed to crack down the wall that Buffy had placed around her heart since his appearance two years ago… and then turned around and hurt her in such a way again… he'd be sure that the next time the change was forced upon him that he was with Angelus.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy walked slowly down the street her expression still full of melancholy. Unable to take her mind off Angelus, she wished that she could believing that it may just help ease her heavy heart if could stop thinking about what could never be. There was never going to be anything more between them then the Slayer/vampire kill each other mentality. Or rather in Angelus case use everything within his power to hurt her. Buffy's lips curled up into a bitter smile. It was would be perfect for him if she fell into the trap his charming side was begging her to fall down into, what better way to hurt her more? Make her believe that she stood a chance heal the broken shards of her heart and then smash it again into millions of tiny little pieces.

Buffy sighed and resisted the urge to hug herself in an attempt to make her feel better. It didn't matter that she knew that it was a trap on his part. Her heart was more than willing to take the chance and so was the hope that had been re-awoken after their last little tryst. Why couldn't he have just fucked her like he had the few times before? She had feared that she wouldn't be able to completely stomp out the hope again once she had fallen asleep with it warming the broken embers of her heart giving it more fuel and incentive to convince her to go Angelus, to let him in. Give into the chance he was offering.

In fact it seemed like her whole body was against her mind at this juncture, like it had this whole big conspiracy against her. Why couldn't her heart understand that the only thing Angelus had to offer her was heartache that his entire plan was to make her suffer for eternity no matter what he had said recently. That it was all part of some big plan, some new way to make sure she suffered it had to be! To think it anything else would be walking right into his trap. At that moment a short demon jumped out at her from his hiding place in the shadows growling at her. Buffy paused in her stride as to not bump into it and on instinct immediately shot out her fist punching it in the face knocking the demon to the ground.

It looked up at her from its position from the ground as it reached up and pulled at it face… which turned out to be a mask and a young kid looked up at her angrily. "Jeez, that hurt! What's your problem, lady?" Without wait for an answer the kid got up and walked away in a huff, not at all thrilled that he had been knocked down by a girl no less… not to mention that it had hurt like hell and she was only a girl! There punches weren't supposed to hurt.

Buffy looked after the little kid with a despondent frown. "That's what I'd like to know." She muttered, before moving on, this time giving into the urge to wrap her arms around herself. She walked her head bowed to look at the pavement at her feet. When would her suffering end? Another thing she wanted to know. Buffy's frown deepened. Never if Angelus had his way, which was exactly the reason she couldn't let herself fall for his charm act! If only her heart was willing to agree with her.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy and Willow walked through the cafeteria heading straight for the cafeteria line, and picked up trays, before heading to the back of the line. "I've got the basics down." Willow explained continuing on from their earlier conversation, as they moved forward in the line. "Levitation, charms, glamour's. I just feel like I've plateaued Wicca wise." Willow said with a despondent shrug.

"What's the next level?" Buffy asked as they reached the self serve area.

"Transmutation, conjuring, bringing forth something from nothing." Willow told her enthusiastically. "Gets pretty close to the primal forces. A little scary." The red head admitted.

Buffy nodded in understanding. "Well, no one's pushing. You know, if it's too much don't do it."

Willow gave Buffy a distraught look. "Don't do it?" Willow questioned aghast. "What kind of encouragement is that?"

Buffy gave Willow a surprised look. "This is an encouragement talk? I thought it was share my pain." She explained.

Willow gave her an uncertain look. "I don't know." She admitted worriedly, before perking up again. "Then again, what is college for if not experimenting? You know, maybe I can handle it. I'll know when I've reached my limit." She said certainly, just as Oz came up to them.

"Wine coolers?" he asked hopeful that the two had been talking about alcohol.

"Magic." Buffy corrected.

"Ooh, you didn't encourage her did you?" Oz asked of the blond.

Willow gave him a sharp look. "Where is supportive boyfriend guy?" She asked.

Oz turned his full attention to his girlfriend. "He's picking up your dry cleaning," Oz said seriously. "But he told me to tell you that he's afraid you're gonna get hurt."

Willow smiled warmly. "Ok Brutus." Oz looked at her unblinkingly, and Willow's smile faded. "Brutus… Caesar?" She looked from her boyfriend to her friend. "Betrayal… trusted friend?" Willow made stabbing motions with her banana. "Back stabby." She elaborated further beginning to fear that neither of them would understand her reference.

"Oh, I'm with you on the reference," Oz assured her a worried frown threatening to crease his brow. "But I won't lie about the fact that I worry? I know what it's like to have power you can't control. I mean, every time I start to wolf out, I touch something… deep, dark. It's not fun. But just know that whatever you decide, I back your play."

Buffy smiled for her friends even as her heart twisted, as she knew that she'd never hear words like that from the lips of the man… demon… vampire… that she loved ever again. "See? Concerned boy, sweet boy."

"I kinda like him. Worrying anyway." Willow said with a smile as she glanced over at her blond friend.

Buffy opened her mouth to reply when she was distracted by the familiar tingle spreading from the base of her spine to consume her, as if to confirm her special Angel, Angelus spidy senses a sort of hush fell over the cafeteria, as the women in the room took notice. Buffy turned and Willow and Oz's gaze turned to follow hers, and their eyes landed on Angelus who was standing close to the entrance his eyes fixed on Buffy. Buffy's breath caught in her throat and her hands tightened around her tray. Her eyes flicked to the sunlight she could see streaming in through the clear glass windows, still not used to seeing him out in the sun. She was half afraid that he would burn. "You know, I um, I forgot… to," Buffy set her tray down on the small bench used to balance ones tray as you moved along to fill it up with what you wanted. "To be hungry." She finished lamely, niggling worms suddenly filling her belly at his sudden appearance at her school. what was he doing here? And did he have to look at her so… so… warmly?

Willow handed her tray to Oz and put a hand on Buffy's shoulder. "What are you gonna do?" She asked glancing anxiously round the people in the cafeteria.

"I'll take care of him." Buffy said softly, her voice threatening to waver.

"Take care of him, take care of him, or…"

Buffy gave her red headed friend a look. "Will, we're in a cafeteria. I can't just walk over to him and start an all out battle. I'm secret identity gal again, remember. I'm just gonna steer him off campus."

Willow swallowed and shot a look over at the vampire who had yet to make a move towards him. He was seemingly waiting for them to make the first move. "Do you want me to come?" She asked nervously. The last thing she wanted to do was go anywhere near the murdering demon.

Buffy shook her head and shifted out from under Willow's hand. "No thanks Will." Buffy murmured, before she started walking towards Angelus.

Buffy weaved her way around the other students in the campus cafeteria as she steadily made her way towards Angelus. Her heart was beating quicker than normal, and she didn't like it to say the least, but she hated that she knew that Angelus would be able to hear the quickened rhythm with his sensitive ears. Buffy came to a stop a couple of steps away from Angelus her arms crossed over her chest defensively. "What are you doing here?" She asked flatly avoiding his eyes.

Angelus' lips curved up into a half smile now that she was this close he could pick up the speed of her heartbeat. "I thought that would be obvious, Buff."

Buffy gave him what she hoped was an angry look. "Well, you thought wrong." Buffy replied stiffly.

"I came here to see you." Angelus stated simply.

Buffy's body jolted slightly and she looked at him in surprise her hazel eyes widening, and her heartbeat quicken further as her heart soared with joy, even as she desperately tried to stomp it down. "Don't say that!" Buffy demanded, her words sounding more pleading then demanding.

Walking the small distance between them Buffy took a firm hold of his arm, trying to ignore the feel of the slightly sun warmed muscles under the silk shirt he was wearing. Angelus smiled he could scent her elation at his words, and the second jump in her heart rate. It was good to know that he really was affecting her. Angelus allowed her to pull him along enjoying the feel of her small warm hand against his arm. When they reached the door that led back out into the sunshine Angelus gently pulled his arm free of her grip and took her small hand in his, before threading her arm through his own, placing her small hand on top of his own drawing her close as they walked down the steps. Clearly stating to all that looked at them that the petite blond on his arm was his, and no one else's.

Buffy glanced over at him uncomfortably, not liking just how much she liked the old fashioned gesture, or the feel of being so close to him, her side brushing against his as they walked. Buffy gave a half hearted tug to free her arm, and Angelus just pressed his arm closer to his side preventing her from slipping free, enjoying the feel of her being this close to him. Angelus blinked and squinted his eyes for a few moments, before looking down at the ground. "My eyes still aren't used to the sunlight. I think I may need to invest in some sunglasses." Angelus grinned down at her. "I never thought I'd hear myself say that."

Buffy felt her own smile curving up her lips, even as she tried to regain control over her facial muscles, but they rebelled, the urge to smile to strong to be denied. After a moment Buffy managed to regain control over the mutinous muscles in her face, and she sighed, firmly reminding herself that Angelus charm act could only hurt her in the end. "What are you really doing here, Angelus?" She asked flatly.

Angelus glanced down at her, a sadness in his brown depths, a sadness that he made no attempt to hide, and he found himself disappointed that Buffy refused to look up at him, her gaze being firmly fixated on something ahead of them. "I really did just come here to see you." Angelus told her sincerely. There was no way he was going to miss the opportunity to let all the boys on the campus know that Buffy Anne Summers was his now that he had the means to do it.

Buffy shut her eyes tightly pressing back the tears that were threatening to well in her eyes, the sharp warning prick at the back of her eyes letting her know just how close she was to crying. "You have to stop saying that!" Buffy murmured harshly, her voice somewhat hoarse with the strength of her strangled emotions as she desperately tried to push the hope and elation she was feeling back into the box she had made especially for them.

Angelus sensed her stress, and couldn't help the small smile that graced his face, he couldn't help it and he was glad that Buffy was making a point of not looking at him, for he was sure that she would take the smile the wrong way. He wasn't smiling because of her pain. He was smiling, because his campaign was working! Buffy was beginning to feel for him… even if she was fighting it tooth and nail! Wisely though Angelus changed the subject. "Do you have any plans for the night?"

Buffy looked up at him forgetting in her surprise that she was trying to not do that. "Yeah. It's called patrolling." She stated, she just didn't feel like trudging along to a party where she'd have to force smiles and pretend like she was having a good time, even though the man she loved loathed her to the point of wanting to turn her so that he could torment her forever.

Angelus raised an eyebrow at her. "It's Halloween. The one night a year we both have off."

"You mean there's a night you don't go out and terrorize the human populous?" Buffy quipped.

Angelus rolled his eyes. "There's just something about Halloween that takes all the fun out of killing and feeding… maybe it's the costumes and the funky polystyrene smell that comes off most of the masks those kids wear."

Buffy shot a conservative glance at him from under her lashes, she was surprised his words hadn't made her angry. The casual talk of him killing and feeding, but then she had accepted ages ago that, that was what he did. She wished that his talking to her like this didn't feel so nice… it was like having a conversation with someone who actually liked you… who you didn't mind sharing things with. "Besides it's nice to just take a day off and relax."

"Right, like you don't enjoy… doing what you do." Buffy mumbled and looked away from him again. feeling uncomfortable as they headed away from the campus. Angelus grinned down at her, not able, or wanting to deny it. His mind drifting back over his favourite moments of last night as he tortured Parker for hours… the boy had been a good screamer despite almost biting his tongue off after only the first bout of pain he had delivered upon him.

Buffy sighed softly as she walked with Angelus, walking beside him like this felt far too good! She could feel the walls around her heart trembling violently against the strain of the hope and love she felt for the vampire beside her. Buffy frowned to herself and tried to stomp down on the emotions for what felt like the thousandth time in less than twenty-four hours. She managed to beat down her feelings a little, enough to stop the walls around her heart from trembling so violently, but she couldn't manage to snuff them out completely anymore. And that she feared would eventually be her downfall. Buffy looked around and realized that they had left the school grounds miles ago and were heading towards the centre of town. She yanked her hand from his arm and took a few steps away from him. "Enough with the charm act, Angelus! It's getting old!" Buffy growled at him, before turning and hurrying away. Her heart screaming inside her, as fear rose inside her… fear that he really would drop the act and she'd be back to trying to kill him at every turn. It seemed that really she couldn't win no matter which version of Angelus he was. The tormentor, or the charmer.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles heard a knock on his door and smiled in anticipation, the fringe from the sombrero he was wearing moving with him. He walked under a Frankenstein doll that was hanging from his ceiling as he opened the door his beaming greeting smile that he had been practicing curving his lips. "Happy Hallow…" he began to chant, before his eyes landed on Buffy and he trailed off self consciously. "Hello, Buffy."

Buffy stared at him horror written all over her face as she stared at her father figure, the Mexican get up she could live with, but that monstrosity of a hat on his head! "Oh-My-God!"

Giles shifted uncomfortably. "It's a sombrero." He informed her.

"And it's on your head." She muttered aghast.

"It seemed festive." Giles said uncomfortably. "Um, come in." He told her and Buffy wasted no time in walking past him and into the house. Giles shut the door and turned and picked up a large bowl that was full of candy. "Candy?" He offered.

Buffy ignored his offer as she looked around at the inside of Giles apartment that had been decorated for Halloween. "What's going on here?" She turned her eyes to her father figure. "You hate Halloween.

"I never said any such thing." Giles protested. "As my Watcher's duties took precedence, I simply haven't taken time to… well embrace its inherent charms… until now." Grabbing the switch that was hidden in his pocket Giles pressed the button and the Frankenstein doll hanging from the ceiling began to shake. "Look, look!" Giles laughed. "It's alive." Buffy looked from the doll to Giles her expression that of shock as she stared at him unblinkingly. "See how he shakes?" Giles cleared his throat once again becoming self conscious. "Is there something you wanted?" He asked.

Buffy shook herself mentally. "I was thinking I should patrol tonight. You know, possibly the cemetery or if you had a better su…" Buffy trailed off as she was distracted by the fringe of the sombrero hanging down in Giles face. "Could you please take that off?"

"Oh, yes of course." Giles exclaimed setting down his bowl of candy he took off his sombrero and sat it down on his table. "I see, is there some specific danger you were sensing?"

"No." Buffy murmured uncomfortably. "But then you know, we were all caught off guard when Ethan turned everyone into their costumes."

"True, but what happened the was anomalous." Giles excuses, glad to be able to give the girl he considered a daughter the night off. "Creatures of the night shy away from Halloween. They find it much too crass."

"Hard to believe." Buffy muttered, her hope of having a viable excuse for not going to the party melting away.

"Well, I-I promise you. There is little likelihood of any supernatural activity tonight. Even Angelus has been documented to be notably absent on the night of Halloween." Giles took hold of his large bowl of candy and held it up to her once again. "You sure you don't want one?" He asked.

Buffy gave Giles a long look feeling thoroughly betrayed by him. Every other time that she had, had something planned and had desperately not wanted to do something the involved wielding a stake or any other kind of deadly weapon, there was something he was adamant that she needed to be doing, but now that she desperately wanted to do something other than put on a fake smile for a crowd of people… there was absolutely nothing that he could come up with that she had to be doing instead? That was just so typical it didn't even shock her! Buffy turned and headed for the door, quietly exiting the apartment, leaving Giles thinking that somehow he had done something wrong by being able to tell her something that she had always seemed to want to hear.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

One of the Fraternity brothers walked down the hall of the Alpha Delta Fraternity house moving past the decorations with ease, he came to a sudden stop however when a skeleton wielding a plastic knife in its hand swung out at him, almost hitting him, making him jump. Looking past the skeleton he laughed and held up a sealed plastic bag for the boy on the other side of the skeleton to see. "I come bearing spiders." He said like it was a peace offering.

The boy nodded even as he frowned in disappointment. "The sound systems not going to cut it. Nothing but lame."

"You want me to call Oz?" The boy bearing the bag of plastic spiders asked as he lowered the bag. "He can probably hook us up."

"Do it." He agreed as he moved to put the skeleton back into its hiding place. "If we not scare the young women, they will not fall into our arms. We'll have women-less arms. Halloween isn't about thrills, chills and funny costumes, it's about getting laid."

He boy holding the spiders shook his head in amusement. "Is there any holiday that's not about getting laid."

"Arbour day." His friend replied seriously. "Call Oz, dude." He said firmly.

"Done." The boy agreed with a nod. "And oh, you wanted a symbol to paint upstairs, something mystical?" He held up an open book for the other boy to see. A large pentagram design on one of the pages. "Check this out."

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander shrugged his jacket up over his shoulders, straightening it out he turned around to head for the door only to see Anya coming down the stairs. "Anya?" Xander asked surprised. "You really have to get this knocking thing down… How did you…?"

"You're Uncle Rory let me in." Anya supplied cutting Xander off mid question. "Does he always smell like peppermint?"

"The man likes his schnapps." Xander muttered. "What are you doing here?" He asked meeting Anya's eyes.

Anya frowned at him in discontent. "You haven't called. Not once." She accused.

Xander shrugged. "You said you were over me."

Anya scowled. "And you just accepted that? I only said that because I thought that's what you wanted to hear." She complained.

"That's the funny thing about me, I tend to hear the actual words people say and accept them at face value." Xander informed Anya as she came to stand in front of him.

"That's stupid." Anya muttered.

"I accept that." Xander paused a little hesitant, before continuing. "I can't say seeing you falls into the realm of a bad thing."

Anya smiled the scowl clearing right off her face. "Really?" Xander nodded. "I thought… maybe we could go out tonight, for our anniversary."

Xander almost choked on his own saliva. "Anniversary?" He asked with a slight cough.

Anya nodded slowly. "It's been exactly one week since we copulated." She frowned slightly. "Did you forget?"

Xander shook his head. "Oh no, of course not. It's just I already have plans with Buffy, Willow and Oz. It's Halloween, you know."

"I don't understand." Anya murmured her frown taking on certain characteristics that expresses her confusion.

"Well, every October 31st, we mortals dress up in masks…" Xander began.

"No, no." Anya cut him off. "I understand that inane ritual. It's those people." She muttered jealousy curling around in her belly. "You continue to associate with them though share little in common." She informed him, conveniently forgetting that she herself had little in common with him.

"What are you talking about?" Xander asked confused, a feeling telling him that he should be feeling somewhat insulted.

Anya shrugged. "I mean they go to college, you don't. They no longer live at home, you do."

"Oh, hey those things…" Xander exclaimed uncomfortably. "The bonds of true friendship transcends…" Xander trailed off. "Could we just change the subject?" He pleaded.

"Ok, ok. Don't get upset with me. I just wondered." Anya muttered.

"If you want you can come with me tonight to this party." Xander invited.

Anya smiled widely. "You mean like a date? Is that what this is?" She asked hopefully as Xander swallowed thickly. "Are we dating?"

"There are definitely date-like qualities at work here." Xander confirmed as he silently wondered if he was slightly insane, or a little bit of a masochist. "Oh, you'll need a costume."

Anya frowned doubtfully. "A costume?" She questioned.

Xander nodded. "Dress up, you know, something scary." He prompted.

Anya's frown deepened as a small nagging worry set in. "Scary? Scary how?"

Xander gave Anya a look. "Anya, you ex-demon, terrorized mankind for centuries. I'm sure you can come up with something."

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy entered the basically empty Psych-lecture room and walked up to Professor Walsh who was standing behind her desk putting things away in her briefcase, and Riley who standing beside her, both getting ready to leave. "Excuse me, Professor Walsh?" Buffy asked catching the two's attention. "I came to get today's assignments. I uh," Buffy stuttered trying to think of a good excuse, protecting the students in the cafeteria from a viscous vampiric killer that was also her ex-boyfriend just wouldn't fly. "Couldn't make it to class for personal reasons." Buffy said deciding to stick with vagueness. Couldn't get caught in a lie if you didn't give details.

"Right." Walsh, said looking Buffy up and down with cool eyes. "I count four limbs, a head no visible scarring, so I assume your personal issue wasn't a life threatening accident of any kind, I'm therefore uninterested. You got problems, solve them on your own time. Miss another class and you're out." She informed Buffy firmly, before latching her briefcase closed and walking past the petite blond and out the door.

Buffy watched her go unaware that Riley was watching her. "She means it, you know." Riley said making Buffy turn to look at him.

"Yeah. I got the impression she wasn't saying it to make me laugh." Buffy murmured dully.

"You've got to be aware your work's taken a little down turn lately. I can't remember the last time I saw your hand up."

"Does stretching count?" Buffy quipped.

"Look, things get pretty intense Freshmen year, as I dimly recall." Riley offered Buffy a small smile. "Too much fun, or not enough?"

Buffy paused not sure how to answer for a second. "Both actually." She finally answered.

Riley held out the assignments that she had missed that class and Buffy gratefully took them. "Yeah, well, you just got to keep your priorities. Prof. Walsh is worth your time."

"Thanks," Buffy murmured as she clutched her assignments. "I'll get these done tonight." She promise Riley as she skimmed over the first page with her eyes.

Riley looked at Buffy surprised. "Tonight? It's Halloween! What, you're not going to dress up and go party?"

"I have a lot of work to do." Buffy said glad for the excuse.

"I may be out of line here, and it's not really my business, but… you seem like the kind of person that makes things really hard on themselves. Halloween isn't a night for responsibility. It's when the ghost and goblins come out." Riley said sagely.

"That's actually a misnomer." Buffy muttered with a faint smile.

Riley shrugged, not looking too deeply into her comment. "Well, I didn't mean real ones." Buffy couldn't help, but smile and looked down at her assignments again. "But hey, there is some good scary fun to be had on campus tonight."

"Yeah? What are you doing?" Buffy asked politely.

"Well, I'm going to sit here and grade papers." Riley informed her gesturing to Professor Walsh's empty chair.

"Scary." Buffy said sarcastically as she turned to leave.

"Very." Riley agreed as he made his way over to the chair he had indicated.

"Well, thanks for the pep talk coach." Buffy quipped.

Riley looked back at her and gave her a slopping smile. "Don't make fun. I worked long and hard to get this pompous."

"No," Buffy assured him. "I mean it." He may not have hit on the real problem she had, but he was right… Halloween was the one night in the entire year that she was allowed to have fun, and worry about the creatures of the night… and what better way to get her mind off Angelus then by going to a party… it would be more effective then hauling herself up in her room at any rate. She could do her homework tomorrow.

Riley smiled encouragingly. "You're welcome." Buffy tossed another smile at him, before walking out of the lecture hall. Riley looked after her for a moment, before shaking his head and turning his attention to the papers he had to grade.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

In the Alpha Delta Fraternity house one of the brothers is leaning on the floor propped up by one of his arms as he put the finishing touches on the pentagram design on the floor the book he had copied it out of beside him open to the page on the floor. He looked up as he heard the sounds of someone entering the room, and smiled as he saw Oz walking in with a guy he didn't know the speaker he had requested being carried between them. "Ok watch your steps, boys. Paint's still wet in a few spots." He informed the two.

The guy who had been complaining about the sound system before smiled from his position in the room by one of the tables he had just finished adding various food stuffs to. "Thanks for the loan man. Our sound systems sucks."

Oz shrugged as best he could as he walked the speaker still in his hands. "Mi casio es su casio." He and Xander placed the speaker down.

Xander immediately turned his attention away from the speaker not knowing a thing about them. His eyes immediately fell on the pentagram on the floor and he pointed it at it. "Well, that's an interesting little design. What does it mean?"

The guy on the floor shrugged. No clue. I got it out of this book. There is a lot of really cool stuff about…"

Xander who's attention had already drifted from the pentagram spotted a bowl on a table. "Ooh, grapes!" He exclaimed walking over to it, cutting the other boy off. Xander picked up a grape. "Wow, peeled. You guys know how to spoil your guests.

The guys standing clamped him in the shoulder. "Eyeballs, man. Blindfold chicks and have them stick their hands in the bowl and tell them its eyes balls. They love that."

Xander dropped the grape back into the bowl. "And here I was wasting time buying them flowers and complimenting them on their shoes." Xander turned from the bowl and looked around the room. "So, you go through the whole house of horrors downstairs and it ends up here. Sweet." He complimented. "You fratly guys have a nice setup." He murmured, feeling more confident now that he had seen the place that no horrid occult was taking place down below… and nor was he going to get dressed up like a girl and forced to wear makeup this actually seemed like it was going to be a good party.

"Hey, mighty, mighty Alpha Delts. You should think about pledging." The guy from on the floor suggested as he looked up from his painting.

"Oh, Xander is a civilian." Oz informed him as he finished up setting up the sound system.

"Ah! Townie, huh? Didn't know. He looked so normal." The guy teased. "You sure we should let him come to the party, Oz."

"Hey standing right here." Xander grumbled, not liking that his words put him once again in mind of his last disastrous appearance at a Fraternity party uninvited, those events still haunted him in his sleep sometimes.

Haunting sound effects loudly filled the room as Oz turned on the sound system to test the speakers. Oz frowned unhappily as he listened with a practised ear. "Cranking." The guy on the floor said in approval.

Xander turned his eyes to Oz and noticed the hinted unhappy look on his face, something a person would pick up with Oz if they didn't know him very well. "You're sensing a disturbance in the force, master?" He quipped.

Oz slid his hand into his jeans pocket and pulled out a folding pocket knife. "Ah, the left speaker is crackling a little bit."

"And you feel stabbing it is the proper solution?" Xander asked feeling slightly worried that Oz might have lost it… how far away was it to the full moon?

"I'm just going to trim the wire. It might be a short." Oz explained unknowingly soothing Xander's fears. Xander nodded his understanding and turned away as Oz bent over the speaker and fiddled with the wire. Oz straightened up accidentally slicing his finger on the blade at he did so. "Ah!" He exclaimed in pained surprise.

Xander turned back to face him in concern. "Oz?"

"Cut myself. It's ok." Oz assured the darker haired boy. Oz walked towards Xander giving his hand a shake as he did so to ease the pain unknowingly sending a drop of his blood onto the painted symbol.

"Playing with knives, fun, yes, but not safe. And when you bleed to death I've got dibs on your equipment." Xander teased.

A ripple of energy ran over the symbol absorbing the drop of Oz's blood activating the beginning of the spell. But no one noticed it, just as they didn't notice that a plastic spider that had been placed at its edge being brought to life as the ripple of energy washed over it. The plastic tarantula now having become a real spider crawled away quickly disappearing from sight as most spiders do.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus stood outside in the grounds to the mansion he had called home for the last couple of years. It was the longest he'd stayed in one place for over a century and that included when he had the soul for eighty years. And now he had found a mate, a mate that was truly worthy of him. Angelus smiled to himself. There was definitely no question about Buffy Summers worthiness. He'd never thought to meet a woman that could survive him, let alone a him hell bent on destroying her, but Buffy had and not only had she survived she had fought him and even sent him to hell. Not something he'd been happy about at the time, still wasn't, but he wasn't pissed about it anymore either. In fact a part of him even felt he deserved it for treating her the way he had. She was his mate, not some common harlot that he'd taken a passing interest in.

Angelus sighed and cracked his neck turning his face up to the last vestiges of the sun as it sunk into the horizon. He wasn't sure how much longer it would take for Buffy to fully accept him as part of her life, as her lover, as her mate. He knew that it wasn't likely, but he burned for it to be soon. He wanted to be able to be with her without seeing the wariness in her gaze and expression, hell in every pore of her being as she regarded him as you would an enemy you knew you had to be cautious of, or they'd rip you to shreds without a second thought. Something that not too long ago, but at the same time felt like a lifetime ago, he had relished seeing, not that he didn't still enjoy it, he was a vampire after all and he was most definitely a predator. But damn it he wanted so much more from her now! He could have wariness and fear from any of his victims, he didn't need it in his mate… not as much as he found himself wanting her trust and her love. Both things that were still far out of his reach.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy stood by her mother as the older Summers woman sat at the end of the dining room table a sewing machine set out in front of her as she finished altering a red cape for her daughter who had her hair parted down the middle a plait on either side of her head, each tied off with a small red ribbon. She wore a creamy white dress with red checkers patterning it and red shoes to match the theme as she waited for the necessary cape to be finished to complete her costume. "Thanks again for doing this last minute." Buffy said again, feeling bad for suddenly dumping this on her mother, but she couldn't sew… or us a sewing machine to save her life.

"I'm just glad I could find it." Joyce said, not worried about it at all, in fact she was delighted that her daughter had come around and was doing something as normal as going out to a Halloween party, and not out fight monsters." Joyce lifted the hook that held the needle encased in it and carefully slide the part of the hood she had been altering out of the sewing machine. "There." She held it out to her daughter. "Try it now. I let down the hem and loosened it a little around the hood."

Buffy slung the cape around her shoulders and tied the little tie at the front. "Oh, it feels better." Buffy assured her mother, and it did, the hood was no longer pinching her neck making it harder to breath, and the cape didn't come ridiculously short on her either, it looked just right now. Not like it belong to a child much short then herself. Joyce smiled at her daughter and Buffy froze. "Oh no. Someone is getting nostalgic face." She murmured.

"I'm sorry." Joyce apologized a nostalgic smile curving her lips. "I'm thinking about the little girl who wore that. What is it? Five? Six years ago."

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, little red riding hood was the cutting edge in costumes."

Joyce laughed. "Your father loved to take you out." She remembered with a sigh looking back on the memories with fondness, her 12 year old little girl trying to put on a happy face even though it was easy to see that she didn't want to have to go with her father.

"He was such a pain!" Buffy muttered, a small smile of her own curving her lips. "12 years old and I can't go trick-or-treating by myself?"

"He just wanted to keep you safe." Joyce murmured her smile fading slightly.

Buffy shook her head. "No, he wanted the candy. I was just the beard."

"Oh, that's not true actually. The candy was for me. Your father loved spending time with you." Joyce assured her daughter.

Buffy's expression turned sad. "Not enough, I guess."

"Buffy." Joyce queried concernedly.

"Oh, that just paved right over memory lane, huh?" Buffy said apologetically.

"Our divorce had nothing to do with you." Joyce said firmly, trying to will her daughter into believing it, as much as she knew it to be true.

Buffy swallowed thickly past the lump in her throat. "I don't know." Buffy mumbled. "I'm starting to feel like there is a pattern here. Open your heart to someone, and he bails on you. Maybe it's easier to just not let anyone in."

Joyce stood focusing her gaze on her daughter. "I thought it might be easier. You must have noticed that I am not exactly the social butterfly I was when I was with your dad. I don't think I made a single new friend the year we moved into Sunnydale."

Buffy looked at her mother surprised, she knew that she hadn't gone out as much, but she hadn't suspected anything like that. "Why not?"

"Fear." Joyce said simply. "I didn't believe that I could trust anyone again. It's taken time and a lot of effort, but I've got a nice circle of friends now." Joyce took in the expression on her daughters face and sighed mentally, she hadn't realized that her daughters feelings on this ran so deeply. "I mean, don't get me wrong. I-I'm still a little gun shy. It certainly didn't help that my last boyfriend turned out to be a homicidal robot." Joyce retook her seat and took a hold of her daughters hand. "I will always be here for you. And you got Mr. Giles and your friends." Buffy turned her down cast eyes to her mother. "Believe me, there is nothing to be afraid of." Joyce smiled whilst her daughter managed a sad attempt at one, before look away from her again. With a frown there was definitely something to be afraid of, but then her mother didn't know that Angelus was still gunning for her.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow stood in her apartment the phone to her ear. The Joan of Arc costume she was wearing feeling a little uncomfortable, but not enough for her to write home about. "No, I just meet you at your place." Willow listened as Oz talked. "Yeah, Buffy said she was coming, but I haven't seen her. We have to make sure she has fun. We have to force fun upon her. I can't stand to see her so mopey, over Angelus of all people." Willow listened again. "Well… if he shows up we'll, just… we'll just axe murder him. That's Halloween-y!" Willow listened again. "Oh right… well we could axe stake him." Willow listened again and beamed. "Ok, I'll see you in a bit." She promised and then hung up the phone.

Walking across her apartment she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind her she began to walk down it, heading towards Oz's dorm room. A tall black man wearing drag and a bad blond wig walked up to her. "Willow, you've gotta stop by the room." He urged.

Willow smiled friendly. "I'm late for a battle or would. I love your outfit though." She called after his retreating back, as she continued down the hall. Her attention was diverted for a moment by a couple dressed as a lobster and a present.

"There was nothing going on there." The lobster stressed to his girlfriend the present.

"I saw you flirting with her!" The girl dressed as the present yelled upset.

"Do we have to do this every time?" The lobster asked exasperatedly. "I love you, you know that!" Willow stifled a giggle and continued to walk on. There was just something simply funny about a lobster and a present arguing.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

At the Fraternity the party is in full swing. A guy leads a blindfolded girl to the bowl of peeled grapes. "Ok, Rach, what's in this next one?" He asked in her ear.

"You guys are sick!" She exclaimed, but a full blown smile curved her lips as she allowed herself to be led to the next bowl.

"Here give me your hand." Rachel raised her hand in the air and he took it and gently guided it into the bowl.

Rachel bit her lower lip as she felt the soft wet gooeyness of the contents of the bowl. "This is gross." She murmured, her voice tinged with excitement, despite her words.

"Eyeballs, Rachel, they're eyeballs!" He told her in a deep voice. "Muahahaha!" Rachel giggled as she reached up with her free hand and took off her blindfold. Pulling it over her head, she looked down to see what exactly it was that she had picked up. the excitement fled her face, as did the colour in it as she took in the hand full of eyeballs she had taken out of the bowl. In the next second she screamed dropping the eyeballs and fleeing, just as the boy who had been leading her around screamed and ran too. Soon after more screams from many different people was the only sounds to be heard apart from the spooky sounds coming from the stereo system.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy stood in her little red riding hood costume, a picnic basket over arm, as she waited for her friends to arrive. Behind her Xander walked up in a tux. "Hey red." He stepped closer to her. "What you got in the basket, little girl?" he asked in a deeper more menacing voice.

Buffy looked up at him with innocent eyes. "Weapons." She deadpanned.

"Oh!" Xander said surprised unconsciously taking a step back from his petite blond haired friend.

"Just in case." She assured him. "Like the tux, Xander." She complimented eyeing it up and down questioningly, trying to figure out who he was meant to be.

Xander stood straighter. "Bond. James Bond. Insurance, you know, in case we get turned into our costumes again. I'm going for cool secret agent guy."

"Did you bring a gun?" Buffy asked.

"No." Xander said with a shake of his head. "I couldn't find one that looked like Bonds gun."

"Then I hate to break it too you, but you'll probably end up cool head waiter guy."

Xander shrugged unwilling to let it faze him. "As long as I'm cool and wield some kind of power."

Willow and Oz came up to them from across the street. "Will." Buffy exclaimed with a smile, before looking her over. "Medieval Will." She corrected herself.

"Hail, ye olde… vereletty- thou." Xander said awkwardly.

"I'm Joan of Arc. I figured we had a lot in common, seeing as how I was almost burned at the stake, and plus she had a close relationship with God." Willow explained.

Xander looked Oz over who look exactly like… himself. "And you are?" He asked. Oz looked at Xander and wordlessly shifted aside one side of his open jacket to reveal a name tag stuck to his t-shirt with the word 'God' written on it. Suddenly making Willow's comment make sense in a whole new light. The four started moving in the direction of the party. "Of course!" Xander exclaimed. "I wish I'd thought of that, before I put down my deposit. I could have been God."

"Blasphemer." Oz deadpanned.

They were forced to come to a halt as two guys dressed up as commando's wearing ski masks stepped out of the bushes and directly into their path. "Nice costumes. Very stealthy." Buffy commented dryly as the two seemed to stare at them surprised for a moment, before gathering themselves and moving on.

They watched them move off. "What are they supposed to be?" Willow asked.

"NATO?" Oz suggested.

"Oh yeah." Xander exclaimed remembering his invitation for Anya to join them. "I ah, invited Anya to join us, but she's having trouble finding a scary costume, so she's just going to meet us there."

"Perfect," Buffy muttered sullenly. "Everybody's got a date, but third wheel Buffy."

"You're not a third wheel." Willow disagreed immediately, her gaze landing on Buffy, as they began walking again.

"Technically speaking you're a fifth wheel." Xander quipped, not releasing the pain behind Buffy's statement, earning himself a rough shove by Willow as she pushed him aside in irritation to come stand beside Buffy wrapping her arm around her. "We're going to have the best time." She assured her.

Buffy sighed despondently, and looked down the path they were taking only to come to a sudden halt that had Willow stumbling slightly, only to be righted by her boyfriend. "Buffy what…" Willow began until she caught sight of what had Buffy's attention. "Oh." She mumbled nervously.

Buffy started walking again and Willow's arm slipped from around her shoulders, her small group of friends following behind her, wanting to be able to get out of the way if a fight should breakout between the two. Buffy came to a stop a couple of steps away from him. "I thought you were patrolling. Since when did that require…" Angelus looked her over. "What are you dressed up as?"

Buffy shifted her feet self consciously. "Little Red Riding hood."

Angelus couldn't help the smile that curved his lips, as he looked her over from head to toe taking in the little piggy tails the red cape and small creamy white and red checker dress, the white socks and the red shoes. All in all she looked good enough to well eat. "What are you doing here, Angelus? And I swear if you say you're here to see me…" Buffy trailed leaving the threat open to his imagination.

"Alright." He agreed a light in his eyes that Buffy really didn't like, even as her heart began to beat faster in her chest. "I'm here to make your fifth wheel problems go away." Angelus said with a charm smile stretching across his lips that had Buffy's heart beating faster again. "So where are we going exactly?"

"We're going to a party." Buffy said slowly.

Before she could say anymore Xander stepped in with a scowl on his face. "Yeah, a costume party." Xander looked him over taking in Angelus' usual fine leather and silk appearance. "And you seem to be lacking one. I guess that excludes you."

Angelus sneered at the boy checking the urge to rip him to pieces with a rumbling growl Angelus allowed his face to shift into the hard ridges of the demon. Angelus cracked his neck. "I believe that solves me 'costume' problem."

Buffy frowned up at him her body tense. "I don't think that really counts as a costume."

Angelus turned his eyes to Buffy and immediately his features softened somewhat, the amber of his eyes that had been a sparking with anger cooled. "It'll be a hit I promise."

"This isn't a good idea." Buffy murmured trying to make her voice sound firm, even as her heart was warmed by his wanting to take her to the party. _'It's a trick! It's a trick! Don't fall for his trick!'_ Buffy thought desperately.

"What are you talking about its perfect!" Angelus assured her. "You're the defenceless little girl I'm the Big Bad come to gobble you up."

Buffy couldn't help the smirk the curled her lips as she shifted her basket, making Angelus' eyes fall to it. "Don't get to comfortable with the defenceless little girl appearance. I've got a few surprises." Buffy warned him, a playful hint in her voice, before she mentally scolded herself for it.

"Come on." Oz said in his usual monotone. "We wanna get there before all the nibbles are eaten." With that said Oz started walking again. He was hesitantly followed by Willow who edge past Angelus hoping against hope that he decided not to come. Buffy was supposed to have fun tonight, not be on duty. Besides she didn't like being near the dark evil vampire. Xander glared at Angelus and shot a look at Buffy, before walking past them after Oz and Willow. Angelus extended his arm out to Buffy a smile on his face that showed off his sharp, dangerous fangs. Buffy hesitated for a moment before forcing herself to give his arm a disdainful look and walked on without him.

Angelus shrugged and lowered his arm, before walking after her easily catching her up to fall into step beside her.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Inside the Fraternity house everybody was running around terror striking their hearts as they ran screaming desperately wanting to get out. The strobe lights that had been put up for the occasion making the house seems creepier and scarier adding to the occupants fear. "Release me!" A voice rumbled from under the floor echoing around the house.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy walked up to the house their group walking as one again, although now she felt uncomfortable as she stood next to Angelus her unexpected uninvited date for the night. She could see by the stiffness of Willow's posture that she was just as uncomfortable with having Angelus with them, but Oz seemed to calm her give her comfort in the knowledge that he was going to be there for her if Angelus decided to attack. She could practically see the anger and resentment coming off Xander, it made her upset. It wasn't as if she had invited him along. He'd just shown up and became her knight in shining leather. Oz and Angelus himself seemed to be the only ones whole-y unfazed by his appearance and tagging along, although with Oz one could never be too sure what the boy was feeling.

As they came up to the door Oz turned to look at them a small almost unnoticeable smile touching his lips. "Let the horrors begin."

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

The guy who had been showing Rachel the bowls filled with different types of foods that could be mistaken for something horrible and disgusting ran down a corridor. "God, help me!" He screamed looking behind himself, he fell down a flight of steps. Landing in a lifeless heap at the bottom of them.

"Release me!" Rumbled menacingly through the house again.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"The joints not jumping. Where is everybody?" Xander asked as they walked down a corridor of the Halloween decorated Fraternity. Angelus looked around a frown pulling down his brow ridges. He smelled fear a lot of it… it seemed like too much for just a haunted house, but then it's not like he'd every really been to one before.

Buffy looked around as she heard mechanical laughter, her eyes landing on a severed head with one eye hanging from its socket, sitting in a punch bowl on a table next to the door. "Follow the signs." Oz informed Xander, as he silently wondered why he couldn't hear sounds of people at the party.

Buffy tilted her head slightly as she examined the severed head with her eyes. "Terrifying. If I were Abbot and Costello this would be fairly traumatic."

Angelus tossed a disparaging glance at the head. "It doesn't look anything like a real severed head."

Buffy looked at him. "Good to know." She muttered somewhat stiffly as she tried to get herself under control where Angelus was concerned. He'd hit with an unexpected whammy tonight. It hadn't even crossed her mind that Angelus would gate-crash just to be with her. Buffy scowled to herself as she kept up with her friends. _'No, no! Not just to be with me! To try and further his diabolical evil plan of Buffy's eternal misery!'_

" Uh, ah!" Willow cried as she stepped into a cobweb that she hadn't seen decorating the doorway. "Cobweb!" Yanking it off her she tossed it to the side, and took a calming breath. "Ok that part was realistic."

Oz gave her a concerned look. "Frat boys aren't too obsessive with their cleaning. Might not be decoration per se." He informed her.

As they continued forward the plastic skeleton jumped out at them the knife swinging out at Xander who jumped his heart racing. "I wasn't scared." Xander panted. "I was in the spirit."

"And we back you up on that. Even if they question us separately." Willow assured him.

"I won't." Angelus murmured with a smirk. "Fear was coming off you like a tidal wave."

Xander glared at Angelus, but before he could make a cutting come back. Willow who had noticed Oz's gaze settled on her shoulder, and had looked down to see what it was and screamed terrified. "Uh, get it off!" She cried to scared to touch it herself.

Buffy took a step back her heart beating its own rhythm of fear, her back brushed against Angelus' chest and she jumped slightly, looking up at him she blushed hoping that he hadn't noticed. Angelus looked down at her and placed calming hands on her shoulders as Oz effectively brushed the tarantula off, and checked her over for any other spiders that may have been on her. "It's gone." He assured her. Buffy looked after the large spider as it crawled away disappearing from sight, turning her eyes away from it she didn't see it once again become a plastic lifeless spider.

"Ok." Willow breathed trying to sound calm and unaffected and like she hadn't just screamed because a giant tarantula had been crawling up her arm. "That is not sanitary!"

"Yeah," Buffy agreed stepped away from Angelus a relieved yet disappointed sigh escaping her when his large comforting hands slid from her shoulders. "Let's get to the party part the party."

Buffy began walking forward Angelus behind her not caring much if at all for the others of her little ragtag group, but something wasn't right here he could feel it. "Are you sure it's off?" Willow asked Oz quietly.

Oz nodded as they began following Buffy. "Yeah." He assured her taking her hand in his own to give comfort, giving a respiratory squeeze of his hand over hers as he felt her smaller hand squeeze his in gratitude. Buffy entered a room Angelus coming in right behind her, soon followed Xander, Willow and Oz. Buffy's eyes zeroed in on the carpet and she bent down. Oz frowned as he looked around. "I thought this lead to…"

Xander who had noticed Buffy's attention on the carpet cut Oz off. "What is it?" He asked her.

"Blood." Angelus answered for her.

Buffy touched her fingers to the stain on the carpet and looked at the thick red liquid that had come away on her fingers, before giving them a sniff drawing in the scent of it. "Real blood." She confirmed for Xander who was more inclined to believe that Buffy wasn't just screwing with his head.

"Ok, actual creeps have been given." Xander said as a shudder ran down his spine, he looked around the badly lighted room. "Bravo, frat boys!" He shouted wanting the joke to be over.

Buffy straightened up. "Shh!" She admonished Xander. "Do you hear something? Like a… squeaking noise?" She elaborated.

"Oh," Xander exclaimed in relief, glad that it was something he could explain away. "It's these rented shoes, patent leather. I asked the guy to…"

"No, no," Willow cut him off tilting her head slightly to the side. "I… wait. It's something else. I hear it too." Buffy's eyes drifted to Angelus against her will. She knew that others would probably think her crazy, but she found his demon visage just as handsome and as captivating as the smooth features of the human. Noticing that Angelus' attention was focused on the ceiling Buffy looked up and her eyes widened. "Something like…" Willow continued her eyes going to Buffy and noting her attention diverted to the ceiling she looked up and Oz and Xander took her example. Real bats covered the entire ceiling of the room all of them seemingly looking down on them. All of them, but Angelus screamed as the bats suddenly dropped down off the ceiling coming towards them. All of them ducked down on instinct Angelus pulled Buffy into him covering her petite frame easily with his larger body.

When the sound of the bats screeches and beating wings faded as they flew down the hall they all straightened, Angelus' hands holding Buffy's arms gently his thumbs caressing the smooth soft tanned silky skin of her bare arms. Buffy closed her eyes at the sensation for a long moment a throb of arousal shooting through her before she pulled herself together and forced herself to step out of his grasp. Oz took note of a bat lying on its back on the carpet and he stepped towards it something about it not looking right to him. Bending down he picked up the bat. "No, Oz, don't it might be…"

Oz straightened his eyes on the bat. "Rubber. It's made of rubber." He announced cutting out Willow off.

Buffy looked around with narrowed eyes. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Look, maybe it's nothing." Xander said hopefully. "Maybe it's just a trick. You know," Xander continued ignoring the 'are you an idiot' look Angelus was giving him. "Something done with wires or…"

"Release me!" Rumbled menacingly through the fraternity house, cutting Xander off midsentence.

"Or it might be something else." Xander gulped wishing suddenly that he was at home safely in front of the TV watching Fantasia.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Anya walked awkwardly down the street the fluffy white bunny suit she was wearing making it just a little difficult to move her legs high enough to get up the small stair that led up to the small patio. She came to a stop in front of the welcome mat. Looking up expecting to see a door she blinked in surprise when her eyes met nothing, but solid wall. "Where is the door?" She asked with a frown. Anya knocked loudly on the wall. "Hey! Hello!" She cried trying to catch some ones attention. There's no way that she wanted to miss her date with Xander. Anya sighed heavily and began walking back down the deck, feeling rather jilted as the whole situation was starting to seem like a nasty trick.

A scream from above her reached her ears the terror in it drawing her gaze up to see a window with a girl banging on it. "Help me! Help me!" As she watched the stones around the window expanded covering the window and blocking out the noise coming from inside. Anya turned away from the window and hurried down the small step. "Xander!" She cried worriedly, not all concerned about the other people that may be trapped inside, like the terrified girl that had alerted her to the fact that her Xander was in some form of trouble.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy walked through the halls Angelus walking beside her, her friends walking close behind as they looked around feeling jittery about all the screams and scary noises they could hear coming through the speakers. "Where is the stairs?" Xander asked hoping to get through this to get to the party part of the party, holding on to a small hope that this was just a very brilliantly stage practical joke.

"Where is the door?" Willow asked just wanting to get out of the Fraternity house.

Buffy frowned as she looked around the room they had just entered. "This is the way we came in right? We just went in a circle?" Suddenly the sound effects turn off and they looked over at Oz who had moved over to a switch turning the sound effects off. "Thank the lord." Buffy breathed having become rather sick of the continuous noises they were mucking with her senses.

"You're welcome." Oz said with his usual monotone.

"Hey," Willow piped up. "I have neat idea. Let's get out of here!"

"And you were so anxious for me to come." Buffy quipped feeling somewhat annoyed with her red headed friend all of a sudden. Especially after all the fuss she had made about getting her to come.

"I'm serious Buffy! We don't know what we're dealing with." Willow retorted.

Before Buffy could make a reply Xander looked around anxiously. "My turn. Does anyone hear that?"

"As soon as we start dealing with it I'll know what it is we're dealing with." Buffy said completely ignoring Xander. "Do you hear something?" She asked with a frown.

Xander nodded unnoticed by the gang. "Like I said. Sounds like hissing."

Buffy put down her basket. "It's sounds like a 'sss' noise?" She explained hoping that someone else would have picked it up."

"I thought the word hissing kind of covered that nicely." Xander grumbled, not liking the way he was being ignored.

Angelus nodded his eyes fixed on a closed closet door. "I hear it." Buffy reached forward and pulled open the closet door to reveal a boy rocking back and forth whimpering. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I'm sorry."

Recognizing him Oz stepped forward and crouched down in front of the boy. "Chaz."

Chaz peeked out at him from behind his arms. "I didn't know." He muttered again.

"What's happening?" Oz asked.

Chaz rocked himself harder. "It's ah,"

"What is it?" Buffy asked him again impatiently, making Angelus glance at her in silent surprise at his girls sudden bout of irritation.

"It's alive. It's alive." Chaz whimpered as he continued to rock back and forth. Behind them the plastic skeleton with the knife still attached to its hand once again came back to life as the power behind everything that was happening sensed a new chance at reeking more fear.

"He's in shock." Xander explained, his mind recognizing the symptoms from his night spent as soldier guy.

"Chaz, what happened here?" Buffy asked slowly. Chaz looked up at the soothing sound of the female voice, and screamed as he saw the source of his fear coming up behind the petite blond. Buffy felt a slice of pain up her shoulder from behind. Turning Buffy knocked it's head aside, and kicked it in the middle, sending it back to the ground where it lay in a lifeless heap once again made out of nothing, but plastic.

Buffy stared at the once again plastic skeleton, as Angelus growled as he stepped towards Buffy ignoring Xander who was trying to step closer to Buffy to see her wound. "I think the cape to most of it." Buffy murmured as she checked the wound as best she could, cranking her neck in an attempt to see.

Angelus touched the surrounding area with gentle hands shift the cloth of her clothes to see the wound. "You should be fine. It's just a shallow flesh wound." He told her. He pulled in a breath and the scent of her blood hit his nose and he couldn't help licking his lips with the desire to taste the freely flowing blood on his tongue. As if sensing his desire Buffy stepped away from. "Thanks." She muttered. Angelus nodded and his eyes glanced away from her and back to the still lifeless skeleton.

He'd never seen anything like what was happening here tonight. Plastic inanimate objects coming to life, live bats on the ceiling of a room, then one turning out to be rubber… just what was this fraternity into? Angelus scowled… maybe he should just ban fraternity based party's all together. There always seemed to be something mystical going on in them. A shrill terrified scream of a woman echoed down to them and Chaz shook his head and shifted enough to reach up and grab the closet door handle, before crawling backwards into the closet he had closed himself off in, pulling the door shut as he went.

Oz saw him doing it, and when the door closed he looked back around the room they were in. "Cowering in a closet is starting to seem like a reasonable plan." He murmured a almost indiscernible frown pulling down his brow.

Buffy looked over her shoulder in the direction of the closet and blinked. "What closet?" She asked making them all look back at the closet to see that it had become nothing but a blank stretch of wall. Buffy frowned in concern. "I'm gonna make my way upstairs and see if there are any people up there." She informed them as she picked up her basket full of weapons. "You guys find a way out of the house and use it."

Willow frowned. "You're telling us to run away and leave you behind?" She queried not at all happy with the idea. She could help! She knew she could, why did Buffy have to always make it seem like she didn't know what she was doing?

Angelus growled lowly drawing their attention to him. "That's exactly what she's saying Red. And she won't be alone."

"Oh I feel so much better knowing that my friends in hands of a murder!" Willow growled back at him.

Buffy sighed and stepped between them as she opened her basket and pulled out a loaded crossbow, making Angelus chuckle softly she was the only little red riding hood he knew that'd come with a basket full of weapons instead of succulent treats. Angelus gave her petite curvy body a look over… not that she really need to pack succulent sweets… she was one all on her own. "We need help." Buffy stated firmly. "We need the only person that can make sense of what's happening."

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles sat at his table his bowl of candy on the table in front of him, his sombrero once again on his head. Reaching into the bowl he plucked out another candy, a thoroughly bored expression on his face as he opened it and began eating it. A moment later he heard a insistent knock on his door. Giles swallowed his candy and stood. "Just a minute! Coming!" He called as he walked over to the door. "Happy Hall…"

Anya barged right passed him and into his house. "Xander's in trouble. We've got to do something." Anya swung around to face him. "Right now!"

Giles stared at Anya in shock his mouth hanging open as he took in her bunny costume. "Anya?" He questioned.

Anya scowled at him. "Are you listening? Xander is trapped!"

"Uh, ah," Giles floundered trying to think past the fluffy bunny costume Anya was sporting. "Where is Buffy and the others?" He finally managed.

"They're trapped too," Anya replied immediately. "But we've got to save Xander!"

Giles took off his sombrero and sat down. "Slow down. I need you to be more specific."

"Um, ah," Anya muttered, trying to think past the fact that Xander was in trouble and the sick feeling that caused in the pit of her stomach. "We were supposed to meet at this house, and I got there and there was no door, where a door should be. And then I see this girl standing in a window, and then poof! She's gone."

"She vanished from the window?" Giles asked seeking confirmation.

Anya shook her head impatiently. "No, the window vanished from the house."

"Hmm," Giles stood. "Matter and reality distortion." He murmured to himself as he walked over to one of his selves and pulled a book from it. "Like a summoning spell's temporal flux."

"What?" Anya asked confused.

"Hmm?" Giles asked looking over at Anya. "Oh, never mind. I just need to get some… supplies together." Giles started to move about his apartment, before pausing and looking back at Anya sensing genuine worry in the girl's expression. "I wouldn't worry about Xander. At least he's amongst friends." Giles offered her.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy forced back a growl of frustration as she frowned at Willow. "Will, I'm telling you…"

"You're telling me? You're telling me?" Willow shouted angrily.

"I can't do my job if I have to worry about each of your safety." Buffy informed her angrily, slightly surprised that the words had left her mouth. Angelus looked at Buffy slightly surprised, she was normally so careful not to let her frustrations get the better of her, or let something like that pass from her lips. Something was definitely going on here.

"It's not your decision!" Willow growled.

"Got to disagree with you there." Buffy growled lowly, her voice firm.

Willow rolled her eyes. "Oh, of course you do."

Xander looked between both girls worriedly. "Let's take a breath. Buffy, maybe…"

Willow cut him off. "Being The Slayer doesn't automatically make you boss. You're as lost as the rest of us."

Angelus arched a brow at her. "Actually it does, make her the boss. Of you anyway." He taunted unable to help himself, his senses were going a little wild with all the fear and hostility in the air.

Oz looked between both girls. "What are you talking about?" Not understanding where the conversation had come from.

"It's a simple incantation, a guiding spell for travellers when they become lost or disoriented." Willow explained.

"And how does it work?" Buffy asked anger still tinging her voice.

Willow looked at Buffy defiantly. "It conjures an emissary from the beyond that… lights the way."

Buffy inwardly scoffed. "Conjuring. Will, let's be realistic here. Ok, you basic spells are usually only fifty-fifty." She said, not sure where the words were spewing from.

Willow looked at Buffy her eyes showing just how upset the comment had made her. "Oh yeah?" Willow rebutted as she struggled to think up a suitable comeback. "Well, so is your face!" She yelled, before turning on her heal and storming away.

"What?" Buffy asked confused her nose screwing up as she tried to figure out what the insult meant. She stalked after Willow. "What does that mean?"

"I'm not your sidekick!" Willow shouted as she whirled back to face the petite blond, before turning around again and stomping away. Ox spared only a small glance back at their friends, before running after his girlfriend not wanting to leave her alone.

Buffy stood still for a moment looking at the spot Willow had disappeared from view contemplating going after, before deciding against it with a sigh. She turned around and walked back towards her basket where she had left her crossbow. Her eyes glancing at Angelus who was staring at her silently. "Well, that was a bunch of laughs." Xander quipped looking at Buffy with shocked eyes. "Look, Buffy." Xander said following after Buffy. "We are all tired and a little edgy. Maybe Willow is overreacting. I'm sure part of it is because of how you've been 'pushing away' girl lately."

Buffy picked up her crossbow, and her eyes slid over to Angelus. "Coming or going?" She asked Angelus.

Angelus shrugged and looked around the room with hard eyes. "I think that this house isn't going to let us leave just yet."

"So coming." Buffy muttered, simultaneously glad that he was, and wishing that he had chosen to go.

"Buffy, enough… this whole ignore Xander thing was funny to begin with, but now…"

Buffy looked around the room her eyes sweeping past Angelus and she frowned. "Xander?" She called.

Xander trailed off surprised, before he gave her a half hearted half smile. "Funny how you still haven't lost your sense of inappropriate humour."

Buffy turned around and looked right at him, but didn't see him. "Xander, where did you go?" She turned to Angelus. "Have you seen Xander?"

Xander frowned getting worried. "Buffy, knock it off." He grumbled getting annoyed. "Skit's over. I'm right here."

Buffy frowned and moved off down the hall with an exasperated shake of her head. "This is so typical of him!" She grumbled.

"Typical?" Xander grumbled, as he watched as Angelus walked after Buffy down the hall.

"Xander?" He heard Buffy call.

Xander's eyes widened as the sudden reality hit him. Buffy and Angelus really couldn't see him! Buffy!" He called as he followed after. Around Xander the house shifted itself working at its mission and he stepped into a room lit by candles. The walls covered in cobwebs. Xander frowned as he turned slowly searching for any signs of the petite blond he had followed. "Buff?"

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"She thinks I'm not ready to be a full blown witch!" Willow growled, now determined to prove to Buffy and even Angelus then she was more than capable of handling herself, that she wasn't a burden on the group. "I can handle the dark forces as good as anyone else. It's not hard. I-it's just a guiding spell and I'm careful and all." Willow said psyching herself up.

Oz followed her into the room she had led them into his eyes shining with his worry. "This room used to have windows." He commented with his usual monotone not letting his worry show through in his voice.

Willow paused as she smiled triumphantly and looked back at Oz. "Look. We found the stairs." She started walking up them and Oz slowly walked towards them as he continued surveying the room with his eyes. "Buffy didn't find the stairs, no sir!"

Oz started up the stairs. "You guys aren't thinking clearly." He stated hoping to get through to his red head, he felt the wolf inside him stir, and then felt his hands contract and morph. Looking down he saw that his hands were longer covered in fur and end in claws instead of his normal human fingers.

"We just need to get up to the goat room and maybe we can…"

"Willow," Oz interrupted her still looking at his hands. "Something is happening." He finished and she paused on the stairs.

Willow turned back to face him. "Something good?" Oz looked up at her and she saw that his hair was now black and it was covering the entire outline of his face thickly. "Oh, no… not good." Willow murmured suddenly wishing that Buffy was there, before shaking the notion away she could handle this, she knew she could!

"I'm changing." Oz confirmed for her.

"But… but you can't!" Willow cried. "There is no moon tonight."

"I have to get away." Oz said backing up a step.

"No!" Willow denied she didn't want to be left alone in this creepy house. "We need to find something to restrain you, like rope or chains, or something." Willow said, feeling satisfied that she had come up with a satisfactory solution.

Oz shook his head. "There's no time.

Willow moved down the steps towards him. "I can do a guiding spell. I know I can make it work!" Willow said desperately.

"Will, please." Oz pleaded, not wanting to risk her life on the chance that she may be able to work a spell she had never attempted before.

"No!" Willow pleaded reaching out to grab him.

Oz growled, and batted her hand away from him. "NO!" He rumbled. Willow looked down at the three bloody scratches she had on the back of her hand in surprise, and she felt a new fear beginning to eat at her. Oz looked down at the scratches for a second, before turning and running away. He needed to find someplace away from people.

"Oz!" Willow cried tears threatening to well in her eyes. "Oz, don't leave me!" She cried after him, her voice echoing off the walls.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander walked up to a mirror in the room he was in. He looked at his reflection. "There I am. I didn't go anywhere." He studied himself in the mirror, a severed head an eyeball hanging from its socket sitting on the dresser behind him catching his glance for a second, before he turned his eyes back to his reflection. "Great. Now I just have to live with the fact that no one else can see me."

The head once again caught Xander's attention as it began to jiggle, and blood ran down from its eye sockets. Xander gasped and turned around to see that it wasn't just a trick of his imagination the severed head was actually moving and bleeding from its eye socket. "I can see you." Xander bit back a girlish scream and ran off out of the room.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Oz sat huddled in a bathtub rocking slightly as he tried to remain in control of himself. "You're not going to change. You're not going to change." He repeated like a mantra, hoping that force of will alone would keep the wolf at bay, even as he felt the wolf stirring inside him, restless wanting release.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy and Angelus walked down a hall, Buffy holding her crossbow ready to raise it at a moment's notice. Hearing a noise behind her Buffy whirled around her crossbow raised, seeing nothing she lowered it again and turned back around. "Try to relax lover. You're going to be jittery mess if you don't calm yourself."

Buffy shot Angelus an angry look. "Don't call me lover!" She growled.

Angelus couldn't help, but smirk at her, the urge to needle her and raise her ire consuming him. "What would you prefer? Kitten? Snuggle pie? Mate?"

Buffy growled. "How about we just stick with my name." She muttered, as she stormed further down the hall.

"Aw, but Buff." Angelus taunted as he followed her.

Buffy whirled on him. "No buts! Alright! I'm sick of this… this game you're playing! Just stop it and leave me alone! Why can't you just leave me alone?

Angelus took a step towards her and ran hand down the side of her face softly. "Because your mine and I want you, and I always get what I want."

Buffy looked up at him with large eyes for a moment, before pushing him away from her. "I don't belong to anybody, but me!" She cried as she ran away from him, she had to get away. She had to! Those amber eyes, they lied just as well as his mouth, they looked at her with such warm… no trace of the loathing and mockery that she had gotten used to. _'Why couldn't he just go back to the way he was?'_

Angelus paused for a moment, before going to follow after her, moving swiftly into a room that he had sworn he had saw her enter he was confronted by what appeared to be a dark gloomy room void of anything.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow sat cross Indian style on a table top. She took a deep breath to steady herself. "Ok." She murmured closing her eyes. "Aradia, Goddess of the lost, the path is murky, the woods are dense, darkness pervades, I beseech thee, bring the light." Willow opened her eyes and smiled widely at the small green spark of light floating in front of her. "Woah!" She exclaimed excitedly. "I did it! I did you. Hi!" Willow paused as she pulled herself together. "Right, you're waiting for instructions. Lead me to Oz." She commanded, and the spark of light began floating past her, and Willow uncrossed her legs and stood ready to follow it, only to hesitate as another thought struck her. "Wait! I should try to find the people trapped upstairs first." Willow looked down as she concentrated trying to think of what she should do, and missed seeing the green spark of light become two sparks, which quickly multiplied into three sparks.

"But even if I get them we still need to find a way out of the house." The sparks continued to multiply quickly as Willow talked out loud to herself. "Ok, here is what we should do." Willow said coming to a decision. Looking up she saw the cloud of green sparks in front of her and she frowned confused the Goddess Aradia only ever scent one guide. "Hey! What's going on?" She demanded to know fear striking her heart as realized that something had indeed gone wrong. As if in answer to her question the sparks began circling her predatorily. "Stop!" Willow commanded, when that didn't work she tried to bat them away from her with her hand hands, and the sparks moved closer to her buzzing around her like a swarm of mosquitoes. "Stop it! Get off!" Willow turned away, but the swarm of sparks followed her. "Oz, hel…" Willow cut off as some of the sparks flew into her mouth making her choke, and cough to get them out. Willow ran terrified trying to get away from the sparks, but they followed her relentlessly.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy spun around as she heard Willow's cry for help echoing back to her. "Willow?" Buffy called looking up at the ceiling, the sound having come from there. Turning once again she came face to face with a door. Trying the handle she found it locked. Her hazel eyes narrowed in determination and she kicked the door busting it open. Without looking she stepped inside the room desperately wanting to find a way to get to Willow. Buffy let out a startled cry as her feet found no purchase and she fell a short distance to the floor of the basement. Buffy let out a small groan as she rolled over onto her back, looking up in time to see the door slowly swinging shut blocking out the light, and suddenly she was grateful that her Slayer senses heightened her eyesight, making it easier to see in the dark. "Basement." Buffy muttered. "I must be in the basement."

"And all alone." A darkly familiar voice taunted. "Well, almost all alone." Buffy pushed herself to her feet, her heart beating wildly in her chest, as her eyes landed on the unmistakable figure of Angelus, standing across from her, his arms crossed over his chest, he was wearing different clothes to when she had last seen him in the upper parts of the house, but that wasn't what really caught her attention it was his eyes the brown eyes she loved and feared at the same time. They were full of the malice and hate she had grown accustom to over the past couple of years.

"No!" She whimpered softly.

"No it's true." Angelus jerked his thumb to his left. "He's here too." Buffy's eyes darted from him to what Angelus was pointing at, and her breath caught in her throat as she saw a boy lying there lifeless his neck twisted at an odd angle that indicated a broken neck. "Although I don't think he'll be able to help you much, Buff."

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus turned around the room he was in a low growl rumbling in his throat, there was something in the air, something powerful… something that had the hairs all over his body standing on end. His eyes went past a figure lying on the floor that hadn't been there before, and he did a double take. He's eyes coming to rest on the form a dead girl… a dead girl he'd killed… a dead gypsy girl he'd killed. "No!" Angelus growled recognizing the feel of the magic now, and he could hear the sound of the chanting, the chanting of that old gypsy woman. Angelus growled and shook his head as he felt the beginnings of the spell that would shove the soul back into his body. "NO!" He growled. "NO! This isn't possible!" He growled. Clutching at his head Angelus looked down and saw that his clothes were no longer that of the fine leather and silk he had donned that morning, but that of what he had worn over eighty years ago, on the night he had been cursed for killing the gypsy clans favourite. Angelus growled loudly, before turning and running, he had to escape, he had to get away. He couldn't have his soul forced on him again! He still had too much to do! He had a mate to gain the trust and love of, he was only just getting started! She couldn't be ripped from him now and placed back in the hands of the soul! She couldn't be given back to the pansy ass moron didn't deserve her! "Buffy!" Angelus called desperately, much like in the way Angel had called for her the night he had felt the moorings tying down his soul ripping free. He couldn't have her ripped from him, not yet! Not ever! Especially not for the soul!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Outside the Fraternity house Giles stood with Anya at the front of the house where the door should be. Giles ran his hand over the spot where the door had once stood, and open book balancing on his free hand. Anya stood beside him her arms crossed as she glared at him impatiently. "Well?" She asked.

Giles shook his head with a sigh. "We're gonna have to create a door." He told her as he closed the book and walked over to the bag he had brought with him.

Anya gave him a hopeful yet doubtful look. "Create a door. You can do that?"

Giles straightened and turned to face her, a chainsaw gripped in his hands. "I can." He said firmly.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy slowly stood to her feet wiping at her mouth to get rid of the trick of blood from a cut she had sliced into her cheek by accident when Angelus had hit her. It was funny to realize that they hadn't had a real fight in months. She had gotten used to it, and had liked it as much as she had feared it. "I knew it was all an act, you bastard!" Buffy growled. "What happened, you got tired of waiting for your plan to start working?"

Angelus chuckled at her as he began stalking towards her again. "You asked me to, Buff. Remember over and over again. You begged me to stop playing my little game. So I have. I've gotten bored with you anyway. You're not even worth turning, not even to torment for an eternity." Angelus snorted. "Even your friends have left you. They ran from you. As fast as their pathetic little legs could carry them. You didn't even see Xander leave you."

Angelus took another step towards her. "First your daddy left you. Then Angel, now your friends, whose next? You mother? I'm sure she's just dying to get rid of you. You're not the normal little girl she wanted after all. How disappointed she must be." Buffy let out a raging scream and launched herself at him. Angelus dodged out of the way of her attacks, again and again. Buffy came to a stop panting, looking at Angelus with sad hazel eyes, she couldn't win this, she realized he was too strong… and she never really had the heart to want to hurt him… she loved him… it killed her to have to fight him… to fight herself. "Buffy!" She heard what sounded like Angelus' panicked voice drifting down to her and she frowned… how could Angelus be up there if he was down here…

Buffy turned her gaze back to Angelus and once again looked him over. It didn't make sense, and why were his clothes different? It's not like he brought a change. Angelus growled angrily and began marching towards her… Buffy backed up and looked around for a place she could retreat. She was hurt, bruised and she just wanted to curl up and hide for a little while. To disappear from the world for just a little while. Buffy saw a small door and dove for it. Getting it open she crawled through it screaming when she felt his hand close around her ankle. Kicking out violently she managed to break free, and slam the door shut.

Buffy got up and looked around to see that she was in a room with a large pentagram design panted on the floor. "I'm upstairs." She murmured surprised. "The goat room." Slowly stepping further into the room she took note of the college students in their costumes cowering against the walls of the room, whimpering in fear. Buffy's gaze fell on one of the boys whimpering in the corner. "Oz?" She murmured.

Buffy spun as she heard footsteps coming towards the room only to see Willow enter fearfully batting at her head. "Getting them off me! Get'em off!"

Oz jerked out of his fearful state by his girlfriends terrified screams took hold of her. "Willow, Willow, Willow, what's wrong?"

Willow panted in his arms. "Couldn't get them off."

"It's ok. It's ok." Oz soothed wrapping his arms more securely about her. "We're ok." He promised.

Buffy felt her body tense as Angelus ran into the room growling and cursing, his hands clutching his head. After a moment he looked up confusion in his eyes as he realized that the press of the spell to shove his soul back inside him had disappeared the moment he entered the room. Buffy felt her body relax against her will as she saw the warmth in Angelus' eyes as his gaze met hers as he straightened himself up to his full height, before he flicked his gaze away from her as he surveyed the room, taking the students there and he felt relief flood him that all of them except for Buffy were to lost in their own fear, or each other in Willow's and Oz's case to notice his rather undignified entrance.

Buffy turned her gaze away from Angelus and shook her head. "We are not ok. we need to get out of here."

Xander scowled as rocked back and forth on the chair he was perched on. "I'd off my opinion, but you jerks aren't gonna hear it anyway." Buffy arched her brows at him as she walked over to him. "Not that 'didn't go to college' boy has anything important to say." Xander continued not noticing that Buffy was standing in front of him, and looking right at him. "I might as well hang out with my new best friend, bleeding, dummy head, for all you dorks care."

"What it wrong with you?" Buffy yelled at him, growing impatient with just waiting for him to notice her.

Xander looked up at Buffy surprised, before standing up. "You… you heard that? You… you can see me?" Buffy nodded. "Good. Oh, God good!"

Oz looked over at Buffy from his position next to Willow. "The house separated us. It wanted to scare us."

"But, we got away." Willow murmured.

Buffy shook her head remembering how she had came from the basement straight to the upstairs goat room. "No. We were brought here. We all got so scared that we ended up here." Angelus crossed his arms uncomfortably, the urge to deny being scared surging inside him, but he checked it, knowing that it would be pointless to argue, with the truth of the statement. "Why?" Buffy murmured.

Xander looked down at the pentagram, and then pointed it at it. "I saw them painting that. They were copying it out of," Xander trailed off as he looked for the book, spotting it lying open on a table. "That!" He said walking over he picked it up.

Willow took the book from him and frowned down at the pages. "I think it's in Gaelic." She murmured.

"Can you translate it?" Buffy asked Willow. Angelus raised a brow at her, his face shifting back to his human visage, for a moment he pondered saying something, before he decided against it. He wasn't a white hat, he didn't care about saving the lives of the humans here. The only human life that mattered to him in the room was Buffy's. The rest could all burn in hell for all he cared.

"Release me!" The rumbling voice shouted making the students cowering against the wall still shiver. Whilst Buffy, Angelus, Willow, Xander and Oz looked around for the source of the voice. "Release me!"

Not seeing anything Buffy turned her attention back to Willow stepping over to her. "Will, give us something."

Willow turned her eyes back to the book. "Ok, um, um…" She frantically scanned the page trying to translate it from her head. "The icon's called the-the Marl of Gachnar. I-I think this is a summoning spell for something called…"

"Gachnar?" Xander guessed.

Willow glanced over at him. "Well, yes. Somehow the beginning of the spell must have been triggered." Willow turned her eyes back to the book. "Um, Gachnar is trying to manifest itself, to-to come into being."

Buffy gave Willow an intense look. "How?" She asked quickly.

"I-it feeds on fear."

"Our fears are manifesting it. We're feeding it." Buffy stated wrapping her mind around it. "We need to stop."

"And how do you propose to manage that?" Angelus asked taking a step towards his petite blond, unable to resist keeping completely out of it anymore, just standing still with no agenda could get a little boring.

Buffy shot him a withering look. "If you don't have something helpful to add, keep a zip on it."

"I thought it was a valid question." Angelus shrugged with a small smile, that Buffy almost returned, before she caught herself, her new revelation doing something to add the awkwardness she was feeling around him right at that moment.

"If we close our eyes and say it's all a dream it'll stab us to death!" Xander cried slightly panicked. "These things are real."

"Release me!" The voice of Gachnar rumbled again.

"Ok." Buffy said thinking quickly. "Our fears are feeding it, if we get everyone out of here…" Buffy trialled off the walls started knocking and shaking.

"Good plan!" Xander cheered and started walking towards the door Willow and Angelus had run into the room from. Xander screamed shrilly as the door burst open on him to reveal a man wielding a very real looking running chainsaw. Giles turned off the saw, and the dust settled and Xander took a closer look. "Giles?" He questioned, before smiling in relief. "Everyone, it's Giles! With a chainsaw." Anya moved past Giles and ran into the room enveloping Xander in a hug. "Glad you could make it." Xander said sincerely as he hugged Anya back.

Giles stepped into the room. "The walls closed up behind us." Noticing Willow with a book in her hands, Giles walked over to her and looked over her shoulder down at the book. "Gachnar, of course. It's presence infects the reality of the house, but it's not managed to achieve manifestation." Giles looked up from the book. "We cannot allow this to come into being."

"Aw come on Ripper." Angelus taunted. "What's one little fear demon." He asked with a smirk.

Giles sent Angelus a look, but otherwise ignored him believing that the matter at hand was more pressing then trading words with the evil demon that had killed his beloved, and tortured him.

Buffy turned her own glare away from Angelus to settle a more friendly gaze on her father figure. "But if it does I can fight it, right?"

Giles walked over to her the book Willow had been holding in his hands as he flipped through the pages to find a picture of the demon. "Buffy, this is Gachnar."

Buffy looked at the picture and scrunched up her nose. "I don't want to fight that. So, we break the spell."

"Whatever we do, let's do it fast." Xander suggested wanting to get out of the house and into the nice fresh night air.

Giles flipped through the pages once again. "I have it, I have it. Um, 'The summoning spell for Gachnar can be shut down one of two ways." He read. "Destroying the mark of Gachnar," Buffy didn't wait for him to finish as she walked over to the mark and smashed her fist through the middle of it, ripping up a couple of the floorboards. Getting up she looked over at Giles with a proud triumphant smile. "Is not one of them and will in face immediately bring forth the fear demon itself." Giles finished.

The smile slid off Buffy's face and she scrunched up her nose in irritation. Turning her gaze back to the broken up floorboards she watched as it started to glow with a yellowish light.

Angelus stepped quietly through the room coming to stand beside Buffy, not willing to trust the life of his future mate to rumours he had heard now that the demon itself was about to appear. The floor rumbled beneath them. With batted breath Buffy, Giles, Willow, Xander, Oz and Anya watched… Angelus just watched, not as taken up in the moment as the others. Their eyes widened for a moment as Gachnar climbed out from under the floor board and came to stand on one of the not so broken ones. "This is Gachnar?" Buffy asked glancing over at her Watcher who adjusted his glasses surprised at the stature of the fear demon. Buffy turned her gaze back to the possibly foot tall demon.

"Big overture. Little show." Xander quipped as he bent down slightly so that his hands where resting on his knees.

Gachnar looked up at them severely displeased by their lack of fear. "I am the dark lord of nightmares!" Buffy stifled a laugh, her arm brushing against Angelus' as she shifted slightly as she tried to hold it in, making her hyper aware of him standing next to her. "The bringer of terror! Tremble before me. Fear me!"

Willow couldn't hold in her own laugh. "He- he's so cute! She exclaimed as she giggled.

Gachnar stomped his foot. "Tremble!" He demanded looking from one gigantic person to the next.

Angelus raised his eyebrow at him, even as anger curled within his belly, this little… thing… was responsible for making him feel like his soul was coming to invade his body all over again! Angelus growled, making Buffy glance at him, and upon seeing the ticking in his jaw and the tightness of his facial features she had to restrain herself from touching him with gentle hands to sooth him.

Xander bent down a little further. "Who's a little fear demon? Come on! Who's a little fear demon!" He taunted.

Giles glanced away embarrassed by the display, before turning his eyes back to the tiny demon. "Don't taunt the fear demon." He advised.

Xander straightened suddenly worried. "Why? Can he hurt me?"

"No, it's just... tacky." Giles turned his eyes to Buffy. "Be that as it may, Buffy, when it comes to slaying…" He trailed off.

Buffy nodded a grin curving her lips as she looked down at the demon that had made her, and all their nights hell… had forced her to face off against an Angelus she had thought she wanted to see again. "Size doesn't matter."

Gachnar looked up at her. "He's never gonna love you, you know."

Buffy felt her heart clench, but her eyes narrowed on him. "Yeah, yeah." She said flippantly, before bringing her foot down on him, stomping him into the floorboard hearing and feeling him go squish.

Buffy as she turned away deliberately didn't look at Angelus even though she could feel his gaze like a physical touch against her skin.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy, Willow, Xander and Oz sat on Giles couch his bowl of candy resting on a small table in front of the couch, whilst the man himself sat behind them at his table looking through the book of Gachnar.

"Some quality treats here, Giles." Oz complimented.

"Please, finish them." Giles pleaded, not wanting to be stuck with them, knowing that he'd end up eating them all, which wouldn't be at all healthy.

Buffy swallowed a piece of candy. "Uhm, this much better. There is no problem that cannot be solved by chocolate."

Willow leaned back into the couch away from the table and the candy a sick look on her face as she crossed her arms over her stomach. "I think I'm going to barf." She moaned dejectedly.

"Except that." Buffy corrected herself as she pulled out another chocolate candy from the bowl feeling the need to eat away her concerns about the nights revelations.

Anya looked over at Xander to see that he was nibbling on another candy bar and was still looking at her in a weird way. "What?" She asked.

"That's your scary costume?" Xander asked incredulously.

Anya shrugged. "Bunnies frighten me." She explained simply.

"Oh bloody hell!" Giles exclaimed startling them all. "The inscription!"

Buffy turned around in her seat to look at Giles suddenly worried that stomping the demon hadn't actually killed it, despite the fact she had spent a good ten minutes with a wet cloth getting the demons guts off her shoe. "What's the matter?"

Giles stood and walked over to her the book in his hands, leaning it down so that she could see what he was looking at. "I should have translated the Gaelic inscription under the illustration of Gachnar."

Buffy looked at it. "What's it say?"

"Actual size." Giles stated.

Buffy looked at the picture for a moment, before shrugging and closing the book. Turning around in her seat again, she reached forward and picked out another candy and began pulling away its wrapper. "So Buff, you're the only one that hasn't shared what happened to you whilst in the house of Gachnar. Care to spill."

Buffy paused in her opening of the candy, before shrugging uncomfortably. "Nothing to share really." Her friends gave her disbelieving looks and commenced trying to convince her to share her fear.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Later that night when Buffy and Willow were in there dorm room lying in their beds trying to get some sleep, before they had to get up. Buffy glanced over at the form of her best girl friend. "Will, do you still want to know what happened to me?"

Willow immediately rolled over on to her side to face Buffy her eyes opening. "Yeah." She whispered.

Buffy took a deep breath. "It's the stupidest thing really. I've spent all this time wanting Angelus to stop being charming t-to revert back to being my tormentor." Buffy wiped at her eyes with a sleeve of her pyjama top. "And it turns out that I fear Angelus going back to the way he was. It really is the stupidest thing. I mean I know it's an act, I know that, he's only acting the charmer to get me to fall into his stupid trap, but…" Buffy trailed off.

Willow didn't need her to continue to guess Buffy's mind. "But you don't want to go back to seeing the loathing in his eyes and the cold heartlessly smile. It's not stupid Buffy. He's using Angel's body to get around in. I don't know what I'd do if Oz suddenly started acting like that… I wouldn't want to have to fight him that's for sure."

Buffy looked up at a patch of the ceiling quietly. "The thing you have to remember is that he's not Angel." Willow told her firmly, before turning away from her friend to face away from her a frown on her face. She didn't understand how Buffy could still have trouble seeing the difference between Angel and Angelus. To her the differences were outstanding, there was no way she could mix them up ever. Buffy sighed as she looked up at the ceiling her own frown on her face. All that time she had wanted Angelus to be her tormentor again so that her heart would stop hoping that he had changed, so that there wasn't any chance that she'd fall into the trap that he had set up for her, only to know find out that she feared that very same thing happening.

That she actually didn't want it to happen. That she wanted the hope for a possible future with him. Buffy sighed and turned away her back facing Willow's. Her hands clasping together and resting over her chest where heart lay beating in her chest. She couldn't let herself fall into him! She couldn't! It would be the end of her if she were to have the kind of pain that only Angelus could deliver upon her, she couldn't risk it! She couldn't she wouldn't! _'Oh God!'_ Buffy thought. _'How did I let myself fall this far?'_ She hadn't even realized it had, until just then. Her entire body was against her mind, was more than willing to fall into his arms and give herself over to the chance… and that more than anything at this moment scared the living hell out of her!

**A/N:** Ok well that was chapter 4. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm sorry once again for how long it took me to get it out to you. I hope that it's content more than made up for it :D And I know that the Parker torture didn't depict everything that happened to him, but most of you by now know my musie and know that she can get more than a little twisted, so I figured that it's be safer just do the start then let your own imaginations take over from what I was hinting at.

Let me know what you think :p


	5. Chapter 5 beer bad

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of the Characters mentioned in the cannon.

**A/N:** Ok first off a big thank you goes to everyone who reviewed last chapter, and I am so dreadfully sorry about the wait that you had to endure. I can assure you that I am alive, and still writing. But what with Christmas, New Year and my sisters wedding coming up in only 13 days now RL is a little hectic. I hope everyone had a happy New year and a Merry Christmas :D

Always I want to ask my readers what they think of an Angel series rewrite? It'd start from season 3 of Angel and start during the meeting between Buffy and Angel when Angel discovers that Buffy is alive, if not entirely well lol. And would of course go on from there throughout the seasons. Now I know I have a lot of stories unfinished, but I finally own Angel and a couple of weeks ago finally got through all the seasons, and ever since, musie has been dying to correct the horror that is C/A. I just can't stand it. *shudder* And so of course like the Buffy seasons musie wants to fix it… of course it could also be that musie wants to do a series rewrite that's B/A and Angel series three onwards just needs serious fixing! Of course I'd still continue work on Dark Release, it'd probably just be alternating posts between chapters.

Of course it might not be started straight away seeing as musie still only in developing plot stages seeing as she's got ideas on working Buffy into the Angel storyline from season 3 onwards, but nothing too firm… yet, but anyway let me know what you think :D

Ok I've prattled on enough, please enjoy the chapter!

**CHAPTER 5**

**Beer Bad**

Angelus frowned in concentration his eyes closed as he sat on one of his couches struggling to remember the blanked out period of his delirium when Faith had poisoned him with that arrow. Something told him that it was important, that what Buffy had been saying to him would give him some kind of leg up in his campaign to win her, but still all that he could remember was her looking down at him, he hazel eyes shining with an emotion he couldn't make out and her pouty lips moving talking to him, but the words were a fog, just out of his reach. Angelus growled and stood up. The words he did remember reverberating through his brain, making his cock twitch to life. 'Drink' she'd said and drink he had… he'd almost drained the life out her.

Angelus shook his head mentally chasing away the last part of the memory. It still rattled him to remember her lying in his bed her skin pale despite her sun tan, her heart beating only weakly filling him with dread as he'd rushed her to the hospital. Never before had he felt anything like it, and he never had any desire to see Buffy so lifeless again. The irony wasn't lost on him that for so long a time he had stupidly… idiotically wanted to see her just like that. Angelus growled and himself and shook head physically in a more determined bid to remove the memory from the forefront of his brain. Slumping back down in his chair Angelus sighed, frustrated with his lack of success. Angelus glanced over at a window the curtains thrown wide revealing the sun to his gaze, the once harmful rays of light doing no more than pleasantly warming his skin on the barest of levels. To a human he supposed his skin would still feel quiet cool to the touch.

Angelus closed his eyes, he hadn't slept in a long, long while. The gem he now wore was throwing off his internal clock. The sun no longer being harmful meant that he could go out during the day. And he had many times taking in the sights of seeing the world lit up by the natural light in the sun. Something he hadn't seen for two hundred plus years and in all honesty had never thought to see again until Spike had come back into town. Angelus growled at the reminder of his wayward Childe. He hadn't bothered searching for him around the town, as soon as night had fallen Spike had left town, he'd felt his Childe leave, going far enough away for him to not be able to feel him anymore. For the most part Angelus was glad, he didn't want to deal with Spike just yet, he had his hands full trying to woe his Slayer back into his arms, without the influence of any sort of magicks, or… Angelus looked down at the ring adorning his finger, dire consequences.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy smiled to herself snuggling deeper into the cool hard chest she was pressed up against. His arms wrapped around her making her feel safe and loved. Her smiled deepened as his arms tightened around her, pressing her closer than before if that was possible. She felt his lips press softly, but firmly into the hair at the top of her head. The bright rays of the sun beat down on them softly warming their skin hers more so then his. "Buffy?" She heard Angelus call her name, and she looked up a bright smile on her face as she saw the small sexy half smile gracing his lips his eyes soft and warm as he regarded her…

Buffy blinked and came out of her daydream as Professor Walsh continued her lecture thankfully so far she hadn't noticed Buffy's inattention. Buffy looked around the small classroom a small frown on her face as she looked over the head of her classmates, one person in particular had been MIA for a good long while. So long that she was beginning to wonder about him. Not that she minded him being away from her, it was a nice reprieve, but she couldn't think that something was wrong, Parker didn't seem like the type to just give up after weeks of trying to get into her pants, and not only that she hadn't seen him in class either… in fact she hadn't seen him since that party.

Buffy's eyes drifted to Professor Walsh as she tried to focus her mind on the lecture she was giving. "These are the things we want." Professor Walsh told her class, as Riley clicked the slide button he held in his hand. the pictures moving from a mother comforting her baby, to a couple kissing, to a warm fireplace, and then a juicy hamburger. "Simple things. Comfort, sex, shelter, food. We always want them, and we want them all the time. The ID doesn't learn. It doesn't grow up. it has the ego telling to what it can't have, and it has the superego telling what it shouldn't want. But the ID works solely by the pleasure principle. It wants. Whatever social skills we learn, however much we have evolved, the pleasure principle is at work in all of us."

Buffy's gaze drifted away, her mind going back to her happy place. Angelus' arms wrapped around her, his eyes warm and welcoming, accepting her, loving her. "So how does this conflict with the ego manifest itself in the psyche?" Professor Walsh continued her voice washing over Buffy as she continued to daydream. "What do we do when we can't have what we want? I expect somebody here can answer that…"

Buffy sighed contentedly as Angelus ran the back of one of his hands down her cheek gently. "I love you." He told her softly, sincerely.

Buffy smiled a beaming smile up at him. "I love you to." She told him in a quiet voice almost shyly. Angelus smiled and dipped down his lips touching hers in a gentle caress that soon turned heated. Buffy jolted out of her daydream once more and gave her head a small shake. She shouldn't be daydreaming about such things, it was dangerous and the walls that guarded her heart were all ready perilously close to falling she couldn't afford daydreams that might quicken the process!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus frowned in his sleep as he turned over to lie on his back in the middle of his large bed, a low growl escaping him. Buffy was above him leaning over him. Her concern for him so obvious that a blind man would have been able to see it. "I know that it's stupid, a-and I know you don't care… at least not in the way I wish you would care," Angelus frowned confusion consuming him, what was she talking about? He did care for her! He opened his mouth to tell her so, but she pressed her fingers to his lips silently shushing him. "Shh." She murmured gently, her hazel eyes drinking him in as if she was scared that this would be the last time she'd lay eyes on him. She smiled at him weakly.

"I can't deny that you have the knack to drive me insane, and to hurt me above all others, and it makes it hurt worse to know that you take so much pleasure in causing me pain." Angelus saw the tears welling in her eyes and he felt a fresh stab of pain that made him wince, and he attempted to lift his hand to reach out to her comfort her, to take away the pain he was causing her. "But I-I can't let you die, I just can't. You mean so much to me, you always have. It never mattered whether or not you had a soul I loved you just the same. I love you."

Angelus sat up in his bed with a gasp, his body trembling as if the poison was once again running through his veins. Deliberately slowing down his unnecessary breathes Angelus calmed himself and slowly slid out of his bed padding over to his wardrobe he pulled out a fresh pair of black leather pants. Slipping them on and doing up the snaps he walked towards his balcony glancing down at the finger that the ring rested on making sure that it was still there, before pulling away the blinds that he had closed when coming up to his bedroom with the intention to try and sleep.

Stepping out onto his balcony Angelus walked the small distance to the railing of the small balcony. His eyes as if with a will of their own drifted to his side where the pipe ran up by his window. A small half smirk graced his face as he remembered waking to the sounds of the pipe rattling as Buffy climbed up it to get to his room to interrogate him, the soft curses she uttered whenever she slipped slightly and as she made the small leap from the pipe to the balcony ledge making the pipe rattle even more. Angelus turned his gaze away focusing his mind back on the dream he'd had. No not a dream! Memory! He was sure of it! It had felt too real and everything had looked the exact same way he had remembered it.

The words were running through his brain over and over, getting stuck on the 'I love you' part more than a couple of times. It seemed so surreal, that she'd say something like that, and the sincerity in her eyes made it impossible to believe that she had been lying, besides why would she? She'd believed that he'd never remember what she'd told him. Angelus hands slipped from his pockets and he growled, she'd told him that she loved him knowing that he wouldn't remember! He growled again at the thought, her desire to keep her feelings for him hidden angering him beyond reason. Angelus turned with the intention of hunting her down and demanding explanations, but paused as he forced his mind to calm a deep scowl darkening his face.

He could hardly blame her for the secrecy, for not having the confidence to tell him. she probably believed with her entire being that he'd throw it back in her face, and if he had known… before he would have done just that, used it and twisted it to his advantage hurting her with it every chance he got. Angelus sighed and turned to face the town and after a moment a smile curved his lips and warmth filling him from far more then the sun. She loved him! After everything he had done she had never stopped loving him, suddenly his task of wooing Buffy back to him seemed like it wasn't going to be as hard as he thought.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander held out his hand to Buffy as she and Willow sat at one of the outside tables at the University campus a light cupped in his hand and he flicked it open making a small flame burst forth. "Rough day?" Xander asked from his position standing beside the table making Buffy and Willow look up from their books to him. Buffy looked down at the burning lighter that was held at her mouth level were a cigarette might be it she had one stuck between her lips, which she did not. Turning her hazel gaze back up to Xander, the boy sighed and flicked the lighter closed. "Come on Buffy." Xander cajoled, before waiting a moment. "Rough day?" He asked once again extending the lighter to Buffy and flicking it open.

Buffy scowled at it. "Stop flicking at me." Buffy muttered, before looking back down at her book in a vain attempt at studying, as her mind wandered back to Parker and the horrible feeling in her gut that revolved around his sudden disappearance from campus.

Xander sat down in the last remain seat on the table. "Work with me here." He pleaded. "I'm finally an essential part of your college-y life. No more 'looking down on the townie'. I'm the new bartender at the pub. Got my lighter, my rage, my empathy face." Xander said smoothing his face into empathetic lines.

Willow raised a brow at him. "Aren't you too young to be a bartender?" She asked with a small concerned frown.

Xander smiled at his red headed friend as he reached behind him towards his back jean pocket, shifting slightly in his seat so that he could reach it. "Au contraire, Môn frère." Xander said sliding his wallet out of his pocket.

"Frère means brother." Buffy corrected without looking up from her book.

Xander shrugged. "Môn girl-frère." Xander corrected as he slid his ID out of his wallet. "Behold." He exclaimed as he slid the piece of plastic under Willow's nose.

Willow took in the picture of the ID and frowned at it, as she took in the huge Tom Selleck moustache on the face that was unmistakably Xander's. "I don't entirely believe this is on the up and up."

Xander pulled his arm back and looked at the ID. "What gives it away?" He asked slightly worried.

Willow shrugged. "Looking at it."

Xander shrugged himself and put the ID back in his wallet and put it away. "Well, who's gonna see it anyway?" He asked. "Now, I'm the bartender! I kick people out!"

Buffy looked up from her book, her mind not allowing her to absorb anything as her ears picked up the conversation going on between Willow and Xander and her mind revolved around her worry of what had happened to Parker… ok not what had happened to Parker… but more who had done it. "There's more to it than wiping and kicking." Buffy informed him. Xander turned his eyes to her a questioning look on his face. "Mixing drinks comes to mind."

Xander nodded and beamed his goofy carefree grin. "I've seen Cocktail. I can hippy, hippy shake."

Buffy closed her book. "Well, Xander, even if I had a pretend cigarette, I couldn't tell you my pretend problems. Real one have clogged up my headspace."

Xander smiled and tapped the shoulder closest to her. "Then unload them right here, baby." Xander flicked his lighter and held it out to her. "Rough day? Wanna tell me about it?" Buffy looked at him with hard eyes and Xander felt himself gulp involuntarily. "Shutting up now."

"I'm pregnant by my step-brother who'd rather be with my best friend and left me with no place to and no food, except for a bottle of Wild Turkey, which I drank all up." Willow supplied earning a weird look from Xander. "That was me, being tanked and friendless for ya." She explained.

"Get's my Oscar nod." Xander replied seriously.

"Class time." Buffy said absently her eyes having drifted towards a clock on the outside of a building.

All three got up the girls heading towards their class with Xander following them. "So, you gonna come by tonight?" Xander asked Willow.

Willow nodded with a smile. "Oz. Bronze. Date." She explained.

"Have any of you seen Parker lately?" Buffy asked not having been following the conversation as she had once again gotten lost in her worry over who had made Parker disappear.

Willow shook her head. "No… I haven't… not for a while actually now that I think about it." Willow nodded in confirmation after she had thought about it a second. "Why do you ask? I mean it's not like Parker's on our favourite people list." She quipped conveniently forgetting that she had been pushing for Buffy to date the boy not so long ago.

Buffy shrugged. "No real reason." She murmured an uncomfortable expression on her face.

Which didn't go unnoticed by her two friends. "Come on Buff, spit it out." Xander prodded.

"Well… just Parker was hanging around me and not exactly keeping it hidden that he was interested in me… and well…"

"Oh!" Willow gasped. "Oh, you don't think… but then it's not like it's not like him to-to make the men in your life disappear."

Xander looked from Buffy to Willow confused. "What?"

Willow turned serious eyes to her best guy friend. "Angelus!" She hissed in a quiet voice in hopes that the name didn't reach Buffy.

"Oh!" Xander exclaimed catching on. "Can you imagine what that psychopath could do to him? And there hasn't exactly been a body discovered, he could still be…" Xander cut himself off with an 'oomph' as Willow's pointy elbow slammed into his gut. He shot Willow an angry questioning look, and the red head jerked her head in the direction of Buffy who had sped up and was now walking ahead of them her shoulders slummed as if a heavy weight had just been dumped on them. Xander shifted uncomfortably as he realized his carelessness, but a small part of him felt like Buffy deserved it. If she hadn't saved Angelus when he was dying, if she had of staked him already then in no way would another guy be suffering at Angelus' hands just because they had taken an interest in her. Xander gave himself a mental shake he shouldn't think like that, but it was hard when a part of himself so totally believed those thoughts to be true, despite the part that felt sorry for her.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy crossed her arms across her chest defensively as she made it to the side entrance of the mansion. Her classes for the day had ended about a half hour ago. All through it thoughts of Parker's strange disappearance ate away at her. Buffy closed her eyes for a brief moment and Angelus' face floated in her mind's eye. Her heart clenched painfully in its certainty that it was Angelus who had had a hand in Parker's sudden disappearance from the world. Of course it wasn't his emo to just have the body disappeared, normally it would have shown up somewhere haunting her, but she knew without a doubt that Angelus hadn't made any attempt to hide the fact that he hadn't liked Parker, not that she had been on the Parker parade herself, but the thought of Angelus killing someone else that had been around her hurt more then she liked.

She hated feeling the guilt every time someone she knew turned up dead, deliberately chosen by Angelus because of their proximity to her. Carefully pulling back the curtain Buffy slipped inside the mansion, she knew that there was a chance that Angelus was out and about with his new found ability to walk in the sun without lighting up like a firecracker, but she had to try and find him, she had to know if he was the one responsible for causing Parker's death. And she was sure that he was dead, she could feel it, and on the hellmouth missing meant dead. Everybody knew that. They just preferred to ignore it.

Buffy looked around the room she was in, she couldn't sense Angelus in there with her, but she never did completely trust her senses when it came to Angelus, sometimes he just managed to slip under her radar. Not seeing him Buffy walked towards the archway that lead into the main room of the first floor. Buffy sighed as she entered the brightly lit room, the sun chasing away all the shadows that used to cling to the rooms of the mansion, before Angelus got his hands on the gem of Amara. Buffy's gaze swept quickly around the large room knowing that there was no real way Angelus could hide in a well lit area.

Not seeing him Buffy turned for the stairs and started making her way towards them, when she felt eyes on her and she turned slightly to see Angelus standing in the doorway across the room from her, leaning against the smooth stone frame his brown eyes drinking her in. The warmth in them threatening to take away all her anxiety over what Angelus may or may not have done to Parker Abrams. _'It's a trap, Buffy. Never forget that! It's a well designed trap that'll lead to nothing but pain and misery. So please just focus on the fact that you're angry about Parker.'_ She thought trying her best to give herself a mental pep talk.

"Well, this is nice. I wasn't expecting a surprise visit." Angelus murmured stepping into the room, a tantalizing peek of his pale chest teased her as he moved the top couple of buttons being undone.

Buffy forced her eyes away from it with a fair bit of difficulty. _'Mad, remember? Mad!'_ Buffy forcibly reminded herself. "This isn't a social call." Buffy bit out, forcing her eyes to remain on his face despite the fact that his eyes were slowly trying to eat away at her resolve to be angry and firm and get to the bottom of her anxiety, but with Angelus looking at her the way he was, it made it hard to remember why it was so important. It wasn't as if she liked Parker at all.

"Oh? Then why are you here? Not trying to get this back again are you?" Angelus asked holding up his hand with the gem on it, a teasing smile on his face.

Buffy shook her head slowly her eyes moving from the ring that was allowing Angelus to stand in the sun bathed room to Angelus' face her eyes meeting his as she firmed her resolve. Angelus' expression turned serious as dread filled him making his stomach feel like it was sinking in a vast abyss. It was odd he'd never really felt dread before, but he seemed to be feeling a lot of knew things since he had realized Buffy was his mate, and something told him that he wasn't going to like what was about to happen.

"You killed Parker." Buffy accused with certainty. She didn't feel the need to pose it as a question. No matter how hard she wished that it wasn't. He tended to be the reason that men around her died.

Angelus stilled completely the sinking abyss in his stomach seemed to have hit rock bottom. He wasn't ashamed of what he had done. Far from it, he was damn right thrilled that he'd dealt with Parker. The little puke had tried not only been eyeing his mate, but had tried to drug her into submission, not something he would tolerate, but damn it he had been set against Buffy finding out his involvement. There was no other reason to have Parker's broken and mangled body hidden. "Where'd you get that idea?" Angelus asked evasively.

Buffy's eyes narrowed. "Cut the crap Angelus. I know it was you. You made no attempt to hide the fact that you didn't like Parker."

Angelus growled under his breath his own eyes narrowing on his petite blond. "Yes. I didn't like Parker." He rumbled stalking towards his petite blond. "Hell, I think it's fair to say that I loathed him."

"So, you did kill him!" Buffy accused trying to sound firm and angry even as she backed away from Angelus' stalking figure, his body suddenly seeming rather imposing with the anger she could see in every movement he made.

Angelus rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I killed him. Probably far quicker then he deserved."

Buffy felt her back hit a solid stone wall at the same time her arm swung out and slapped Angelus harshly across the cheek, sending his head to the side. "You bastard! You had no right, Angelus! You can't just," Buffy cut off with a sharp intake of breath as Angelus growled and with a quick movement pinned her hands against the stone wall pressing his body against hers trapping her legs and arms, preventing her from making any aggressive move against him.

"I can't just what?" Angelus growled lowly, his brown eyes flecked with amber boring into her hazel ones. "Lay claim to what's mine?"

Buffy scowled up at him darkly. "I'm not your property. You don't own me, Angelus!"

Angelus took a deep unnecessary breath forcing himself to calm, and he gave her a small sad half smile. "No, not property, Buff. You're so much more than property." Buffy stare up at him with wide hazel eyes, he could see her fear in them, and the hope that she was so desperately trying to squish inside herself. "Parker was a threat and as such he was dealt with accordingly." Angelus murmured truthfully.

"A threat?" Buffy asked in disbelief. "A threat to what? Naïve women hearts?" She quipped, squirming slightly to try and force some distance between them, having Angelus this close to her was wreaking havoc on her senses.

Angelus shook his head. "To my courtship of you." He murmured.

Buffy jerked in surprise her hazel eyes wide, and her heart pounded in her shock as the hope that she had been steadily beating back surged to the surface again. "Courtship?" She spluttered. "So you killed him!"

Angelus shrugged. "He was competition and its vampiric instinct to get rid of any and all competition for ones mate." Buffy looked up at him shocked her mind spinning with disbelief even as her heart filled with hope that was threatening to bring the walls around her heart crashing down in a million tiny pieces. Angelus dipped down slightly and rested his forehead against hers. The action made Buffy's eyes close tightly as she tried to get her emotions under control whilst trying to force her hope and love for the vampire in front of her back into the box she had created for them, but as usual these days they refused to fit.

"I want to own everything there is of you Buffy. Your heart, your soul, your body. I want to own every glorious inch of you. And let you own me back."

Buffy felt tears welling in her eyes and she gave a shaky shake of her head a watery breath escaping her. His words filling her mind threatening to take her over, before his previous words filled her brain once again. 'He was competition and it's vampiric instinct to get rid of any and all competition for ones mate.' Buffy's eyes snapped open and she twisted her wrists violently breaking his grip on them, before shoving him away from her. "Those others. Scott, the guy at Christmas…"

Angelus gave her a thoughtful look, the tears streaming down her face making her want to hold her petite frame against his offering comfort even as he soaked in the sensations of her pain. "Hmm, well now that I look back on it. That'd be the reason for their deaths as well. Competition for a mate is not something a vampire takes lightly. Of course at the time I thought it was for a completely different reason all together."

Buffy looked at him with fire despite the tears that were still swimming in her eyes. "Yeah to cause me pain. If that's true then why haven't you gone after Xander?"

Angelus smirked. "That idiot isn't competition, and the one time I thought he was, it was all due to a backfired love spell." Buffy felt a small shiver of embarrassment and disgust go down her spine as she remembered coming on to Xander with nothing but a jacket on, almost made her glad that Amy had turned her into a rat when she had.

"So, anyone you deem as competition is going to die." Buffy mumbled guilt curling in her belly making her stomach feel like it was home to thousands of butterfly's that were all trying to escape at once.

"Until I don't have to worry about it anymore. I'd say that's a fair assumption." Angelus agreed, he could scent Buffy's guilt and pain at the knowledge and it almost made him feel bad for not lying to her, but he wasn't a liar, never had been never would be.

"I hate you!" Buffy whispered sadly, as her hot tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

Angelus felt the most curious sensation of his unbeating heart constricting in his chest at the words and it almost made him growl in anger, except that it wasn't hatred he was smelling on her, but sadness and guilt, and the love she felt for him. He could scent that too. "No you don't."

Buffy snapped her head up to look at him her hazel eyes angry. "You don't know what I feel!"

"Oh, but I do." Angelus murmured taking a step towards her. "It took me a little while, but I finally remember everything."

Buffy frowned in confusion, even as her heart picked up a nervous rhythm in her chest. "I don't know what you're talking about." Buffy muttered taking a step back and once again found herself backed up against the wall, but Angelus didn't box her in this time.

"Oh, then perhaps I should jog your memory. Now let's see, I believe it went a little something like this. 'But I-I can't let you die, I just can't. You mean so much to me, you always have. It never mattered whether or not you had a soul I loved you just the same. I love you.'" Buffy stared up at him with wide fearful eyes. He was never supposed to remember! Angelus smiled down at her, his expression kind, as he tried to ease the fear he could feel coming off her in waves. "There's more, but I figured that was the most important part of your little ramble. So I do know for a fact that you love me."

Buffy wrapped her arms around her waist protectively. "You weren't supposed to remember! The only reason I said it was because I thought for certain that the delirium would prevent you from remembering." Buffy whimpered, hugging herself tighter, expecting a powerful emotional blow any second. _'He knew! He wasn't supposed to know!'_

"Well I'm too stubborn to let something as trivial as a poison induced delirium stop me."

Buffy looked up at him, not liking his casual tone over an experience that had been one of the scariest of her life. She'd thought that she had been going to lose him that night! Buffy looked away from him then, before running heading towards the closest exit that just happened to be the front door. She had to get somewhere safe, somewhere were Angelus wasn't. Were the knowledge that he knew her most guarded secret wouldn't scare her as much.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander stood behind the bar of the college club, a hand cupped around his ear in an effort to hear the orders of the college students that were surrounding the bar. The loud booming of the jukebox making it hard for him to hear. "What? WHAT?" Xander shouted at the college students making them huff and roll their eyes in annoyance.

"For the last time, a pitcher of BEER!" One of the college students shouted. Xander nodded and grabbed a pitcher from under the bar and filled it with one of the beer taps.

"Ok," Xander shouted, turning to the other students at the bar after he had handed over the pitcher. "You're a rum and coke." He said pointing at another student. "You're a Poker's Light," He pointed to another student. "Vodka on the rocks and…" Xander turned to the last student and thought a second. "A water. Is that right?" He asked.

"A Kidder's Gold Ale, a Peelee Lager, a glass of white wine and a daiquiri." One of the students shouted annoyed.

"Do I need to write it down for you?" The college student who had wanted the pitcher of beer asked, not having finished his order. "A glass of ice water, man. Simple request."

Xander turned away from the angry students whilst desperately trying to block out their angry voices, as well as calm his racing nerves and shaky knees. "Ice water." Xander murmured. "How do I make that?"

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy walked through the door into the college club. She'd been wandering aimlessly about for hours now, staking the odd vamp after night had fallen as she brooded over her meeting with Angelus. Nothing made her feel even remotely better though. Those boys. Scott, Parker, the guy she didn't even know the name of, and probably countless others from Angelus 6month reign over Sunnydale before Acathla. Had all died because of her, sure she had always know that their deaths had been connected to her, but to find out the actual thought process behind it, made their deaths far more confronting then they had been before. They'd been competition for her heart, Buffy snorted as far as she was concerned there had never been competition her heart had always belonged to Angel and Angelus. It's what made trying to kill Angelus so hard… not that she had really been trying since saving his life.

The thought of trying to kill him now just seemed so redundant. She had been willing to trade her life for his, just to see to it that Angelus kept on unliving. It made threatening to stake Angelus more of an idle threat then it had ever been. And-and now he knew. He knew for a fact that she loved him, that it hadn't mattered what he did she'd never stopped loving him, that her heart belonged to him, and it terrified her. Terrified her more than the disaster that had been her eighteenth birthday. It was the one thing she had been dreaded since she had admitted her true feelings for the dark demon to herself. Buffy stepped into the club a frown darkening her features as she walked into the dimly lit club. All she could really do about it, was brace herself for the powerful emotional blow that she was sure would come as soon as Angelus figured out what he wanted to do with the information.

His words on wanting to own her heart, her soul and her body warmed her, the thought of Angelus truly wanting her was a secret little fantasy of hers. One that was dangerous and more than likely see her killed. She knew that she shouldn't indulge in them, but at times she couldn't help it. She wanted him so badly, but those thoughts allow him to break past her flimsy defences and ultimately break her like he had been trying to do from the moment she had first met him and he'd broken her heart with cruel degrading words of an experience that she had thought of as the best of her young life.

Buffy's brooding thoughts were cut off as she bumped into what felt like a solid wall whilst getting sloshed with a bit of soda that the person she had bumped into spilt at the unexpected impact. "Woah!"

Buffy looked up and saw Riley looking down at the dark wet stain on his shirt. "Oh sorry!." Buffy exclaimed apologetically.

Riley looked up at Buffy slightly bemused, not at all angry about the mess after seeing the sincere and flustered expression on her face. "You know, most people go around. I'm not saying you can't tunnel through me. I just think the other way's quicker."

"In my defence, you take up a lot of space." Buffy quipped kindly, as well as uncomfortably as she twisted her hands together for a moment, before forcing them apart.

"I do." Riley agreed. "I'm ungainly." He admitted, just as Buffy got a rather nervous look on her face and looked around The Bronze as if searching for someone. "You looking for someone?" He asked.

Buffy looked up at Riley guiltily. She wasn't sure if Angelus would consider Riley competition or not, but she really didn't want to risk it by standing here and talking with him for too long. She didn't think she could handle having someone else's death on her hands. "Uh, no… I mean yes… I mean…" Buffy stuttered flustered. She couldn't damn well tell him that she was looking to see if her ex boyfriend was hanging around waiting to see which potential competition needed to be disposed of next. "I'm looking for ah… a," Buffy's eyes landed on Xander who was standing behind the bar which was no longer crowded with annoyed angry students. "A friend. Xander. He's just started working here." Buffy finished glad that she had finally stumbled on to an excuse that didn't scream psycho-gal.

Riley smiled down at Buffy kindly, after stealing a glance in the direction of the new guy behind the bar, who seemed to be slowly, but surely learning the ropes of the job, whilst annoying a few of the customers as he stumbled his way through. "That's nice of you. Anyway I've got to go. I got people waiting. I'll see you in class." Riley told her, before stepping around her petite frame.

"Uh-huh." Buffy muttered glad that Riley was moving away, even though she hadn't seen Angelus, not seeing him rarely meant anything. Both he and Angel were very good at remaining unseen if they didn't want to be.

Buffy sighed and scanned college club with her eyes once again, half hoping to see him, half afraid that she would. Not seeing him, Buffy meandered slowly around the club deciding to check it out, before heading over to Xander and forcing a brave face. A brave face just seemed like far too much trouble right about now. And if Xander saw right through it, what was she supposed to tell him? That's she was upset, because Angelus was killing off boys that he thought were competition? All she'd get for that was a 'well if you killed him he wouldn't be able to kill off your other would be suitors.' She didn't want other suitors, she really didn't think she could stomach them, not when Angelus still held her heart, but she really didn't want others to die because of her. But she knew for a fact that she couldn't kill Angelus. It just wasn't in her… she couldn't do it again. It was hard enough the first time!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander looked across the bar, his eyes landing on a beautiful young sorority girl sitting with three other sorority girls. Ignoring the still waiting customers on the other end of the bar Xander made a beeline for the young girl. Pulling out his lighter from his pocket her reached out and flicked it on. "Rough day?" He asked, making the girl turn to face him, revealing that she is chewing a swizzle stick, not smoking like he had initially thought.

"Nah, I've been super." She beamed prettily, finding the young boy behind the bar cute in a geeky sort of way, and she saw no harm in being polite. Xander snapped off his lighter and put it away. "We accepted Melody's pledge and made her an official sister of Beta Delta Gamma. And our pins arrived today. I designed them myself!" She informed him, before pulling down her collar to show Xander the pin she placed there.

Xander glanced at the pin, his eyes straying to the smooth skin of her neck. "You are so sharp." He complemented making the girl giggle in pleasure.

Behind them four male students walked up to the bar. Colm the leader of the group came over to the girl talking to Xander and placed his arm around her, as his three buddies Roy, Hunt, and Kip pulled up stools. "Hey Paula." Colm greeted. "Are you keeping this fine bartender from his duties? Man's got to earn a living." Colm murmured forcing his tone to polite levels, instead of allowing himself to indulge in the distain he felt for those who decided to not attend University.

Xander shrugged and smiled politely doing his best to not show his annoyance at being interrupted. "S'alright."

Colm removed his arm from around Paula and leaned over the table, deliberately excluding Xander from the conversation less then subtly. "So, the guys and I were celebrating about the…"

Xander who was forcing a smile know, having sensed the deliberateness of Colm's actions. "No, it's alright. I'm due for a break." He broke in cheerily.

Colm slowly moved so that he could look at Xander, somewhat annoyed that the bartender was so simple minded that he couldn't take a fairly obvious hint. "Oh. So what were you discussing? Maybe we can all join in." Colm mocked snidely.

Paula chuckled gently and gave Colm a playful wack on the shoulder. "Oh be nice." She chided.

Xander held up his hands, sensing trouble that he didn't want over a chick he didn't even know. "Hm, no forget it." That said Xander moved to turn away from them.

Colm not about to be brushed aside, after having been so thoroughly annoyed by the townie spoke again. "No, I rudely interrupted. And it sounds like you two were having quite the meeting of the minds." He smirked at his friends, before turning his gaze back to Xander. "Possibly debating the geo-political ramifications of bio-engineering? You have a take on that?"

Xander fidgeted uncomfortably having no idea what Colm was on about. "I've got beer. Want some beer?" He offered instead, hoping to distract him.

Non fazed by the change in subject Colm answered immediately. "Pitcher of Black Frost." He ordered, and Xander grabbed a fresh pitcher and placed it under the tap of Black Frost and pulled the leaver. "See, I think we have a perfect venue here for conducting sociometry here." COlm continued drawing Xander's gaze up from the pitcher. "Bipolar continuum of attraction and rejection. Given your socio-economic statuses, I foresee a," Colm gestured to Paula then to Xander. "B rejects A diad."

Xander looked at him a muscle in his jaw twitching and irritation clearly shining out of his eyes, as his cool exterior chipped away with each word Colm spoke. "I'm sorry let me clarify." Colm taunted mistaking Xander irritated look for one of confusion. "You see, we are this country's future. You keep the bowl of peanuts full. We are what these girls want." Xander stared at him as he pulled released the leaver making the flow of frothy beer stop. "And four glasses." Colm ordered, turning his smug gaze back to Paula who was giving Colm a slightly chastising look.

"How about I see some I.D first? 'Cause you're not getting a drop until I'm satisfied that…"

Jack the owner of the club walked behind Xander wiping his hands on a cloth. "Just give 'em the beer." He ordered as he continued to walk cutting Xander off.

Xander reluctantly slide the beer to Colm who, with a victorious grin grabbed the pitcher and the beer mugs and headed off his buddies in tow, leaving a ten on the bar.

Xander turned to wipe down the bar, only to find Buffy now sitting in the recently vacated seat, Paula and her friends having walked off. Xander took in her expression easily noting the pain, hurt and guilt on her face. Buffy not having noticed that he was looking at her. "Buffy?" Buffy looked up at him slightly startled, but didn't say anything or bother trying to change her expression into one of happy bubbly-ness. "Rough day?" Xander asked softly, his concerned expression sincere. Buffy nodded reluctantly, her mind once again on Angelus and all that had been revelled, it made her wish that she hadn't gone over to the mansion today. That she had just left things alone. She had felt better by leaps and bounds just subconsciously knowing that Angelus had a hand in Parker's disappearance. "Want to tell me about it?"

Buffy nodded once again, before taking a big fortifying breath. "It just… turned out that Angelus did kill Parker."

"Buff, not to sound condescending, but we all knew that already. Angelus is a killer." Xander muttered the last bit a little hotly.

Buffy sighed. "I know he is. I just. I found out a lot today." Buffy mumbled not sure if she should tell Xander about what Angelus had revelled about his motives behind Parker's death, behind the deaths of those, that at the time he had been certain there meaning had meant something else entirely. It was all a little mindboggling even for her.

"Buffy.." Xander began.

"I get people killed." Buffy muttered tearfully. "Maybe if I just dropped off the face of the Earth planet, things would be better."

Xander gave Buffy a stern look. "No, Buff." Xander said firmly, making Buffy look up at him. "You listen to me. You save a whole lot more then you get killed. Hey if you weren't around three thirds of the people in this bar probably wouldn't be sitting here. They'd be dead. You can't save everyone, but you can do you damnest to make sure you do the best you can to save most of them when they need it!" Buffy looked back down at the bar dejectedly, the whole falling off the face of the Earth planet still seemed like a much better idea.

Xander opened his mouth to say something else, when Jack his boss looked over at him and noticed him gabbing. "Hey!" Jack smacked Xander on the arm to get his undivided attention, before motioning over to the other side of the bar, where he needed Xander to tend to customers.

"Sorry, so sorry." Xander apologized to his boss, before turning back to Buffy.

Buffy who had pulled herself together more, smiled up at him with a forced smile, her happy face fixed in place for the moment. "I'm better. This has helped." She lied.

Xander hesitated conflicted, so Buffy forced a brighter smile. "Don't go anywhere." Xander said sternly, before reluctantly turning and following Jack down the bar.

With Xander's back facing her, Buffy let her brave face fall away, allowing her lost lonely feelings to once again shine through clearly on her face. It took so much effort to keep it up that it hardly seemed worth it. Feeling tired and drained of energy, Buffy slid off her stool and started making her way towards the door, once again not looking where she was going Buffy once again bumped into a guy, with a mug of beer in his hand. "Sorry. I'm bumping into people today." She mumbled.

Roy smiled at her. "I can't imagine anybody minding." He said as Colm and his two other friends caught up with him. Roy took Buffy in with his eyes, and even though she wasn't meeting his gaze, but rather looking at her feet, he could see the sadness and pain pouring off her in waves.

"You're not thinking of leaving, are you?" Roy asked. "'Cause we have a strict policy against you leaving. At least until you've had a drink." Buffy turned her gaze up from the floor of the club and managed to flash Roy a tiny smile.

"My friend's just saying, you shouldn't be alone and sad right now." Colm explained. "You're a beautiful girl who should be covered with men." Colm paused to judge her reaction to that statement. "And could we be those men." He asked.

Kip placed a mug of beer down on the table in front of Buffy, turning the handle towards her. "It's on us." Buffy looked at the beer hesitantly for a moment, before regarding the guys surrounding her. They all seemed nice enough, but… Buffy looked out past them scanning the club once again. Not seeing or sensing Angelus, Buffy allowed herself to give them a warmer smile. What were the chances that Angelus would come looking for her in here? She'd never been here, before after all, so she doubted it'd be on his Buffy search list. Reaching down Buffy grasped the handle of the beer with a nod, making Colm and his friends smile in delight at the prospect of having their attentions focused on perking up a beautiful college female student.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Oz shifted through the crowd the sound a mixed CD blaring through The Bronze as a diversion as they waited for the live band to start their set. With drinks in hand Oz finally manoeuvred his way through the crowd and over to Willow who was patiently waiting at a table that was surprisingly close to the stage for such a packed night. "You got a table." Oz stated as he set the drinks down, moving Willow's in front of her.

"I had to kill a man." Willow informed him teasingly. Her eyes lighted with a soft joy. It was the first time her and Oz had been able to go on a date in a little while and she was thrilled.

"Well, it's a really good table." Oz murmured as he slid into his seat next to Willow, his expression and demeanour somewhat distracted. Which didn't go unnoticed by Willow as her boyfriend looked away from her, not paying her much attention like he was supposed to on a date.

"I copied out my notes for psyche, since you were so elsewhere this morning. It's pretty simple stuff," Willow trailed off as the lights dimmed and the stage lights flared, the music playing through the speakers stopped, as the throb of live music moved through The Bronze, but that wasn't what made Willow pause, it was the way Oz shifted in his seat, and a pronounced frown furrowed his brow. Oz hardly ever made such a lively expression and the fact that it was a frown that came from a worried place, and not a happy place and not directed at her, made her stomach and heart clench as worry and concern ate at her. "What's the matter?" She asked.

"I… don't know. Feel a little…" Oz glanced over at Willow. "It's nothing." He assured her, but it did nothing to ease the red heads mind.

On the stage the lead singer stepped out onto the stage. She's dressed in tight sexually alluring clothes. Her voice filling the room. Willow looked at Oz who's gaze was fixed on the stage, or rather the woman singing in the spot light. "We could go to your place." Willow suggested, hoping to gain her boyfriends attention. "I could make soup." She offered whilst attempting a smile, her eyes glancing up at the stage, just as the woman singing focused her gaze on Oz.

"No thanks. I'll be fine." Oz murmured hardly sparing Willow a glance.

Willow followed Oz's gaze hoping that he was looking at something, or someone other than the woman on the stage, but as her eyes landed on the attractive sexually alluring woman on stage she felt her hope dwindle to nothing. Her heart clenching in pain as the woman continued to sing, with her eyes glued on Oz, making it seem like the woman was singing directly to her boyfriend. "Do you know her?" Willow asked with a jealous frown.

Oz turned his gaze to Willow for a moment surprised by her question. "Veruca? No, I've met the drummer, he's cool. Never heard them play…" Oz trailed off as he once again became absorbed by the music. Willow looked up at the stage again, sitting uncomfortably in her seat, her drink untouched as worms wriggled around in her belly as she watched Veruca's body moved slightly to the music, and a sudden wish consumed her that the woman Veruca would lose her voice and the band would have to stop playing.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus frowned to himself as he wandered the night, moving through a cemetery. He'd hoped to see Buffy out here. He wanted above anything else to move on from the distrust she had of him. Every time they were together and he continued his campaign to win her over, he could see the wheels of distrust turning in her head as she tried to figure out what his actions were leading to in his 'diabolical plan' even though there was no diabolical plan to cause her pain and misery. Not anymore anyway, but he was having a hard time proving it. It made him wish that they could just get past their past and move forward. Forget about it, start over fresh.

But unfortunately that wasn't going to happen, and even though he knew for a fact now… since this morning that she loved him it didn't mean that it was going to make things any easier, especially considering that she'd loved him all along and hadn't broken down. Not that he wanted her to break down, he just wanted her to give him the benefit of the doubt, or even just a chance, hell he'd take her giving him a distrustful chance at this point, anything that would allow him to in some way, shape or form prove that he wasn't planning on hurting her anymore. _'God, the past was a bitch!'_ Angelus thought as he exited the cemetery, and headed for the mansion.

It didn't seem like he was going to find Buffy tonight, and maybe that was a good thing… maybe if he left her alone for a few more hours she'd have more time for the information she'd been fed that afternoon to sink in. He was after all probably the last person she wanted to deal with right at this moment. Angelus frowned at that, being that last person his mate wanted to see was not a nice feeling. In fact it was one that he wanted to go away and never return!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Inside the college club, Buffy sat a beer stein raised to her lips as she swallowed quickly. "Chug! Chug! Chug!" The four guys chanted encouraging Buffy on as she continued to swallow. The table they were sitting at had a few empty steins and a couple of full ones yet to be had. The table top is a little wet from slopped beer. Buffy finished her mug and slammed it down on the table, belching loudly, before wiping at her mouth. Colm picked up a pitcher of Black Frost and refilled her mug. "The thing that modern day pundits fail to realize is that all of the socioeconomic and psychological problems inherent in modern society can be solved by the judicious application of way too much beer." Colm stated.

Buffy looked at Colm then around the table of boys she was drinking with. "My mother always says that beer is evil."

Colm smiled, glad for the excuse to continue his drunken intellectual prowess. "Evil, good, these are moral absolutes that predate the fermentation of malt and fine hops. See…" Colm trail off a frown on his face. "Where was I?" He asked hid entire line of thought having disappeared into the drunken fog of his brain.

Buffy smiled at him freely, the beer allowing her to forget at least momentarily her pain and heartache and fear and worry of her earlier discussion with Angelus. "I'm not really sure." She admitted. His words having flown right over her head.

Kip who had been anxiously waiting for his chance, hurriedly spoke, before someone else at the table could. "Well, Thomas Aquinas said…"

Roy hurriedly cut him off. "No! There will be no Thomas Aquinas at this table!"

Hunt nodded. "Keep your Theology of Providence to yourself, fatboy."

"I was just drawing a parallel to…" Kip began.

Colm hurriedly cut him off, before Kip could warm to his argument. "Beer! Had the earliest morality been developed under the influence of beer there would be no good and evil. There would be 'kinda nice' and 'pretty cool'. Everything would be different."

Buffy looked from one boy to the next, a bemused smile on her face. "You guys just love to hear yourselves speak, don't you?" She said good-naturedly.

Colm looked from Buffy to his friends. "We're losing her, guys…"

"Say something interesting!" Roy urged his friends.

"Well," Hunt muttered his expression that of concentration. "Tell us about yourself."

"Yeah!" Colm exclaimed. "What do you like?"

Buffy hesitated unsure of what to say. The truth she knew despite the beer in her system was a no-no, but she was struggling to think of anything different to say. Looking down her eyes lighted on the mug of beer that was still sitting in front of her. Curling her small fingers around the handle she lifted it up into the air. "Well, I don't hate this for a start." The boys murmured their approval as Buffy took a large sip of the alcoholic beverage.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Behind the bar Xander watched with increasing worry as Buffy drank more beer. He'd never seen Buffy like this, and the fact that she was doing it with guys that had been totally jerks to him, made the situation worse. The fact that it was because Angelus had done something to upset the diminutive blond didn't escape him either, but he couldn't help think that Parker Abrams was no big loss, and that Buffy should like normal just grin a bear it. She was The Slayer after all, not a little girl head over heels in love!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy sat in the dorm room she shared with Willow. The red head was absent for the moment, not that Buffy really noticed. She was too focused on the pounding in her head, and thoughts of Angelus that were continuing to run through her brain, making anger and heat course through her body that was making a slightly uncomfortable throb begin in between her legs. Buffy hardly noticed the door opening, and Willow's voice sounding in the room. "I'm Veruca." Willow mocked in a higher voice. "I'm in a band." She grumbled, whilst shutting the door. Buffy's eyes never strayed from the TV she was watching.

Willow collected the things she needed for her classes and stuffed them angrily into her backpack, not really looking at Buffy, but was aware that the petite blond was there as the sounds of the TV echoed through the room. "I'm Oz, I'm in a band, too." She grumbled now mimicking Oz in a mocking way, letting her hurt out. "And this is Willow." Willow switched back to Veruca. "How fun, a groupie!" Willow scowled. "GROUPIE!" She growled. Willow fluttered her eyes in a mockingly flirtatious way, once again mocking Veruca. Willow zipped up her bag and let out a sigh. "Buff, you ever heard of this Veruca chick? Dresses like Faith. Voice like an albatross?"

Buffy didn't look up from the TV, only having really heard her name being called and nothing else. Buffy smiled slightly at the TV, touching it with one of her hands. "TV is a good thing. Bright colours, music… little tiny people."

Willow turned around surprised and her eyes widened to take in Buffy's mattered appearance. The petite blond looking nothing like her immaculate self, with her the massive knotted bedhead, with half shut red eyes, and still in wrinkly pyjamas not looking anywhere near ready to go to class. "Woah, what have you done with Buffy?" The red head asked.

Buffy glanced away from the TV as she searched for words in her mind as she tried to concentrate on the conversation she wasn't all that interested in. "I'm suffering the after-ness of a bad night of badness." Buffy murmured.

Willow's eyes widened as her mind jumped to the first conclusion that she could think of. "You didn't! Not Angelus again!" Willow squeaked.

Buffy shook her head, silently wondering where Willow had gotten the idea she had ever gotten drunk with Angelus before. "No, with five really smart guys."

Willow's eyes widened further in shock, surprise and even a little disgust. "Five! Ow. Oh." She stuttered, before concern set in. "Oh, Buffy. Are you ok? Want to tell me about it?" She asked slipping into the best friend role, even as she mentally cringed at the thought of hearing about such a sex-capade.

Willow put down her backpack as Buffy began to talk. "I went to see Xander, couldn't stop thinking about my meeting with Angelus, and … then came beer." Buffy said with a smile as she remembered the frothiness of the amber substance.

"And then group sex?" Willow asked concernedly.

Buffy snorted through a small laugh. "Pfah… gutter-face, no! Just lots 'n lots o' beer. It's nice. Foamy and comforting. It's beer." Once again Buffy smiled at the thought of it.

Willow frowned in anger at the handsome dark demon that she couldn't see. "Drowning your troubles 'cause Angelus, the mind frying manipulative demon! He deserves a slow death by spider bites."

Buffy turned back to the TV. "Angelus bad." She murmured.

"Yes, Angelus very, very bad. With a capital 'B', but for now we of the scholarly persuasion, must attend classes."

Buffy looked away from the TV. "Ok." She agreed as she stood up and headed towards the door, whilst Willow watched on shocked.

"But getting dressed would be fun, too." Willow said as Buffy reached the door.

"Oh." Buffy muttered looking down at her crinkled pyjamas, and shuffled towards her wardrobe her hangover already beginning to disappear. The joys of being The Slayer.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy wriggled in her seat. The class was almost over, and she was anxious to leave. She was hungry not having been able to have breakfast having been running a little late already because she'd had to get dressed and brush her hair and her teeth, and of course shower to get the smell of beer of her. Beside her Willow glanced down worriedly at the empty seat that had her jacket thrown over it, having saved the seat for Oz, but once again it seemed like her boyfriend would not be attending class. "Now next class." Walsh said wrapping up her lecture. "We'll be moving onto personality types and disorders. Those of you who've done the will already know…" Professor Walsh trailed off as Buffy's hand shot up. "Yes?" She asked slightly irritated.

Buffy pointed to Willow. "She read the… reading." She said confidently, causing the class to erupt into hushed giggles and Riley to frown in confusion.

Willow sunk in her chair embarrassed, whilst Buffy slouched in hers, feeling completely bored now, and her stomach was starting to rebel against not being fed yet. "Well, then, she'll have some time on her hands." Walsh replied, before turning back to her lecture. "As I was saying…" Buffy zoned Walsh out, as a scent reached her nose. Craning her neck up, Buffy sniffed making her nose twitch. Following the scent with her eyes and head her eyes landed on a girl to her right, who was trying to hide her coffee and cold turkey sandwich lunch under her desk, as she chewed slowly and discreetly. "We don't have time to cover it all in class. But it doesn't mean it's not worth knowing…"

Buffy licked her lips helplessly as the scent continued to tantalize her, stoking her hunger. "And it doesn't mean it won't be on the mid-term. Now, if I've been unclear in anyway, speak now." Buffy bit back a growl of hunger. She needed food and she needed it now. With a quick motion she snatched the girls sandwich, as the girl bit into it once again. Quickly taking a large bite out of it herself.

"Buffy!" Willow admonished, starting to feel really worried for her friend, as she pulled the sandwich away from Buffy and back to the girl who own it, who was looking at Buffy like she was crazy. "Buffy are you ok?" Willow asked in hushed tones, trying to avoid any more attention.

Buffy looked over at Willow. "Sure, why wouldn't I be?" Willow gave Buffy a dubious look, but turned her attention back to Professor Walsh, occasionally sneaking glances at Buffy as the blond once again began shifting in her seat.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

In a dark room filled with human skulls, test tubes, Bunsen burners and a few other magical and science things. A large beaker is settled over a blue flame, a bubbling glowing liquid potion inside. Two masculine gloved hands reached out and adjusted a small knob, opening up a small valve that allowed the liquid to flow from the beaker and into a clear plastic tube. The liquid ran through the tube steadily headed towards its destination. The tube went past thick black magic books and small unidentifiable carcasses in sealed jars.

The tube ended and the liquid dribbled out the opening and into a large keg labelled 'Black Frost'.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy sat at the same table she had the night before, surrounded by the four guys she'd been sitting with last night. One of them poured her another beer. She'd lost count of how many she'd had now, but she found that she didn't care either. "S'good… good enough!" Buffy cried out as the amber liquid reached a certain level.

"No more?" Colm asked. "But s'good." He told her as he moved the pitcher away, placing it on an empty patch of table.

Buffy nodded as she picked up her mug. "Yeah. Foamy." She murmured with a smile.

Kip raised his eyes to Buffy and made a drunken gesture. "You should come to our class on big thinking. S'good."

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander watched from his place behind the bar, worry etched over his features. He hadn't expected to see Buffy back here tonight. The only thing he could think of was that whatever Angelus had divulged to her had been enough to drive her to drink. Frankly though, he was surprised it hadn't happened earlier, what with all that Angelus had to her, and her friends, but why did she have to get drunk? Wouldn't staking the undead psycho fix the problem just as well if not better? He didn't like seeing his friend like this, and with those guys of all people.

A young woman pulled up a stool across from him with a heavy sigh. "Boy, I'm having the worst day," She looked up at him hopefully, but Xander was to fixated on watching Buffy interacting with those jerks to seize on the opportunity. The woman pulled out a cigarette. "You got a light?" She asked. Xander slowly, never taking his eyes off Buffy, pulled out a cardboard coaster and held it up a no smoking symbol on it, making the woman huff as she put away her cigarette. Lowering it again in the same distracted way, Xander began wiping down the bar, his eyes still fixed on Buffy.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Colm leaned over to Buffy and sniffed her. "I like girls." He informed her.

Buffy smiled widely and knocked back slightly. "You're stupid!" She teased.

"No, you! Stupid!" Colm said back.

"No, you stupid!" Roy said to Colm unable to help joining in.

"Smelly head." Buffy said to Colm giving him another playful push. Roy leaned over to Colm and sniffed him and nodded his head adamantly confirming Buffy declaration. Colm frowned and hit Roy hard in the arm forcing him to topple down with the chair, making Colm laugh loudly. Buffy lifted up her beer mug and took a long drink of the cool foamy amber liquid that made a nice warm feeling sit in her stomach. Beer made everything alright.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow walked out of her dorm and into the hall, closing the door behind her. Looking up she saw Oz walking down the hall towards her. "Oz…" Willow murmured.

Oz gave her a small smile. "Hey, I tried calling you."

Willow looked at him coolly. "I've been at the library. How are you feeling?"

"What do you mean?" Oz asked confused by the question and his girlfriends cool demeanour.

"You weren't in class…" Willow whispered at a barely audible pitch, as she shuffled her feet uncomfortably. She felt like there was this wide gap between them one that she couldn't breech because she didn't speak musician. "Again."

"Yeah, band was practicing. Listen, Shy is playing again tonight…" Oz began enthusiastically.

Willow frowned in confusion. "Shy?"

"Veruca's band." Oz explained, making Willow frown harder this time in displeasure. "They asked me to sit in with them. Be cool if you were there." Oz offered hopefully.

"Two Veruca shows in two nights…" Willow murmured jealousy stirring in her gut. "Sure you want to share your groupie?" Willow paused and then gave her head a minute shake. "I think I'm just gonna study. 'Cause of the fun."

"Oh," Oz muttered disappointed. "Ok. I guess it might be kind of dull for you."

Willow looked him in the eye, hoping that he say he'd join her in the library, or even ask her again, anything that made her feel like he still wanted to spend time with her and not Veruca. "See ya." Willow said slowly when Oz didn't say anything.

Oz hesitated for a moment before agreeing. "Yeah." Willow waited another moment, before walking off down the hall, her back stiff and ridged as she walked. Oz watched her go confused and still hurt.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander wiped a wet patch on the bar, cleaning off the spilled drink whilst he listened to Buffy, Roy and Colm as they engaged in a fun shoving match. "You stupid." Colm shouted as he shoved Roy.

"No, you stupid." Roy said to Buffy.

"No, you." Buffy exclaimed back. Xander finished wiping up the counter his gaze flicking momentarily over to Buffy, before moving over to the jukebox digging a quarter out of his pocket Xander pushed it into the slot and pressed a button choosing a song, making music fill the room.

Buffy looked over from the shoving match the sound of the music catching her attention. "Hey!" She exclaimed excitedly. Getting off her seat she shoved one of the chairs out of her way and raced over to the jukebox, inspecting it with her eyes for a moment, trying to see how it worked, before climbing up on a ledge pressing herself against it, before slapping it with the back of her hand. "It sings!" She hollered excitedly. Xander marched over to her, his face set in a determined line. Buffy hearing him coming looked over at him with a bright smile. "Like it."

"Time to go home, Buffy." Xander said kindly.

Buffy frowned. "Want more singing." She smiled. "Want more… beer."

Xander shook his head. "No, I've cut you off."

Buffy tilted her head slightly to the side. "Did it hurt?" She asked sincerely.

Xander gave her a dumbfounded look, before shaking his head. "Out you go."

Buffy turned towards the table where Roy and Colm were still crouching on their chairs shoving each other playfully. When she made to walk over to them, Xander grabbed her by the arm. "No." Buffy protested. "Like beer. Beer… good."

Xander shook his head as he lead her towards the door. "No, beer bad. Bad, bad beer." Xander shook his head at himself. "What the hell am I saying? Go home and go to bed." Xander instructed her, as he opened the door for her.

Buffy looked up at him with a pout out expression, before hitting him harshly making Xander wince slightly. "Say bye."

"Bye." Xander said, blocking her entry back into the bar, which had been her goal.

Buffy gave him a pout. "Bye." She muttered sulkily, before shuffling off down the road.

Xander shut the door with a sigh of relief glad that Buffy was on her way home, he turned and walked back towards the bar and his clean up duties. At the table Colm looked up from the shoving match, his eyes going towards Buffy's empty chair. "Where woman go?" He asked looking around for Buffy, his eyes landed on Xander as he walked towards the bar. Colm's eyes narrowed suspiciously, blaming the rival male for his woman's sudden disappearance.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy entered her dorm room closing the door behind her. She didn't like that she no longer had beer. But she didn't understand how Xander could have cut her off and it not hurt. Buffy shrugged she didn't care, it hadn't hurt so she didn't care. Buffy eyes narrowed. Angelus hurt her, Angelus hurt her a lot. But he killed Parker for her, and Parker was bad. Angelus strong male. Buffy' eyes narrowed further Angelus had fucked Faith. That wasn't allowed, Angelus was hers and her alone! No one got Angelus, but her! Angelus hers… Angelus bad… Angelus needed lesson.

Buffy walked swiftly through her room heading towards her wardrobe unlatching it, Buffy walked inside and opened her weapons chest. Her eyes scanned the contents until she found the item that she wanted. Pulling out the handcuffs Buffy shut the lid. She didn't want to kill Angelus, she just wanted to show him just who exactly he belonged to, and that he wasn't allowed to stray, and if he did Buffy punish!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow walked into the Grotto having changed her mind about going to the library she really didn't feel like being in a place she loved right at this moment, she feared that her sullen mood would infect it and she wouldn't be able to enjoy it anymore. Willow looked around the cave-live structure with distaste as she eyed the graffiti on the walls, and the visibly grubby floor, and students sleeping across most of it making her feel like being sick. She felt dirty just having her shoes touch the floor. Willow sighed and walked over to a corner and plunked herself down on a couch and stared down at the books in her hands.

She wasn't sure if she'd be able to study here or anyway else with her current frame of mind. Oz behaviour and attention to Veruca was having a devastating effect on her emotions and focus. But at least studying gave her an excuse to not be in the dorm room. She didn't want to have to deal with any of the questions that Buffy would have for her. The petite blond had a way of just knowing when something was bothering her. Maybe she'd feel like talking about it tomorrow? Willow frowned as she felt tears threaten, pricking at the back of her eyes. She wasn't going to cry she wasn't!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy stalked into the mansion her steps sure and determined as she moved through the dark mansion. She could see the clear night outside, but she didn't let it distract her as she moved swiftly searching for Angelus with her eyes. She knew that he was here, she could feel him with her senses. He was tingling down her spine in that familiar way. Walking through a corridor Buffy paused and frowned as she slowly turned around, she had rarely gotten to see this far into the mansion, before and she didn't want to get turned around! The cuffs she had pulled from her weapons trunk rested in one of the back pockets of her jeans. They hadn't wanted to fit properly, but she had made them after a brief struggle. Continuing on her way, Buffy felt a small half smile curve her lips, as she felt Angelus drawing closer. He must have felt her. Slipping into the shadows Buffy waited glad for the night. She may not have been as good as hiding in the shadows of the night as Angelus, but she was adept at it all the same. She was after all a predator, just like him, and she intended to prove it! After tonight Angelus would have no doubt about just who he belonged to!

Buffy watched as Angelus strolled around a corner and into the hall they she was standing in. Glancing to her side saw what seemed to be a heavy old vase sitting on a small table pushed against the wall. Reaching for it, she turned her eyes back to Angelus. When he walked past her she shrunk further into the shadows she had taken refuge in for the moment, before stepping out from them. Without ceremony Buffy stepped after him silent stopping as he did, obviously having sensed her behind him. Before he could turn around Buffy slammed down the vase breaking it into hundreds of tiny pieces with a crash and sending Angelus to the ground unconscious for the moment.

Buffy grunted as she bent down and hefted Angelus up, and began moving back through the mansion. He was heavy and the going was a little slow, but her body was wary ready to spring into action should her prize wake, before she was ready for him to.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy slipped off the large bed her hazel eyes fixed on Angelus' restrained prone form on his large bed. His arms chained above his head looped through the elaborate headboard that adorned his bed. Buffy pouted to herself as she watched him, she hadn't anticipated just how boring waiting for ones prey to wake up could be. Turning her attention away from him for the moment, she looked down at herself for a moment, before moving her hands to the zipper of the jacket she had been wearing. Unzipping it Buffy slid it off her shoulders baring her arms to the cool air of the mansion. Dropping her jacket to the floor, she looked up as she heard Angelus stir on his bed, before he jerked harshly at his chains, making the whole bed frame shake with his strength.

Angelus snarled lowly as he came to, to find that he was bound, not a position he liked to be in. It didn't take him long however to sense the other presence in the room he recognised as his own, and it only took the second his eyes landed on her for him to recognize her. "Buff?" He growled angrily.

Buffy stepped towards him and the bed. Her long hair falling over her shoulders framing her face heavily, not that she seemed to mind all that much. "Angelus bad." Buffy said firmly, her hazel eyes flashing at him, daring him to deny it.

Angelus stared at her, suddenly confused and worried. _'Angelus bad? What the hell?'_ "Buff, what's going on here?" Angelus asked using his most dominate authoritative voice he possessed.

"Angelus bad." Buffy repeated and then her eyes narrowed. "Buffy punish." She said firmly as she stepped closer to the bed, her knees brushing the edge of the mattress for a moment, before she shifted so that she was kneeling on it, beside Angelus' body.

Angelus felt himself harden despite himself. He knew something was wrong. It was in her tone, hell even in the way she looked, not to mention the fact that she had him in chains! "What are you talking about, Buff? What did I do?"

Buffy eyes narrowed and Angelus was pretty sure that he heard an angry growl rumble from her throat. "Angelus cheat on female. Female punish male."

Angelus could feel himself harden further in his leather pants, the soft leather pressing uncomfortably against his hardening shaft. "Buff. What's happened? What's wrong with you?" Angelus asked, everything inside him was telling him that something wasn't right. This wasn't his Buffy, at least not the personality of the Buffy he knew. Angelus sniffed the air as Buffy moved closer to him not answering his question. His eyes narrowed as he drew in the scent of beer, lots of beer. "You've been drinking." He growled, as beneath that the scents of unfamiliar males hit his nose, the scents weren't intimate, but they were strong!

Buffy smiled at the mention. "Beer. It's nice. Bubbly." Buffy shook her head of thoughts of the amber ambrosia. Reaching towards Angelus she gripped his green silk shirt and ripped it open sending the buttons flying, but Buffy didn't notice though as her eyes focused on Angelus' sculpted chest. Angelus growled lustily at the action his lust skyrocketing at Buffy's roughness and the determined look in her eyes. "Buff," Angelus began.

Before he could say anymore Buffy dipped down and captured one of his nipples sucking the small brown nub into her warm mouth Angelus couldn't help the groan that escaped him. A second later Buffy bit down on the captured nipple harshly, the shock of it making Angelus yelp, before he groaned at the pleasure the pain shot through him as her blunt little teeth released his nipple and Buffy moved away, doing nothing to ease the sting her small teeth had caused. She stared at Angelus unwaveringly. "Angelus mine. No one else's!" She declared firmly. "Buffy doesn't share."

Angelus focused his eyes on the petite blond. "Neither do I Buff." Angelus told her.

Buffy frowned at him angrily. "Male cheat. Female did not." Buffy growled at him angrily, the hurt the memory of finding out had caused lanced through her.

The flash of it didn't escape Angelus' attention, as the expressiveness of his mates hazel eyes told him of her pain without the need of his enhanced senses. Angelus yanked determinedly at the chains that bound him to his bed, wanting to get to her, to sooth the pain and let her know in no uncertain terms that it wouldn't happen again.

Buffy frowned at Angelus angrily, before pouncing on him her small hands resting firmly on Angelus biceps, her small hands unable to close all the way around them. "Naughty." She said in a serious voice, and Angelus stilled beneath her for the moment, he wasn't sure what had happened to Buffy. _'God I hate being out of the loop at times.'_ But whatever it was had reverted her to some kind of primal uninhibited state. He wasn't sure to be grateful, or plain angry that someone else had once again done something to his Slayer, in his town! He'd sworn that he had all of the demon populous in Sunnydale under control! "Look lover, Angelus sorry. Buffy release Angelus." Angelus tried jerking against the cuffs again.

Buffy frowned at him. "Angelus sorry?"

Angelus nodded. "Angelus very sorry. Angelus promise to never do it again."

Buffy sat back on him, and she could feel the hard ridge of his desire pressing against her and her eyes narrowed once again as her brow dipped back into a frown. "Angelus not sorry, Angelus happy." She grumbled.

Angelus rocked his hips against her. "Happy for you." He assured her. "Now unchain Angelus."

Buffy shook her head adamantly, even as she pressed down on the burgeoning erection tenting Angelus' pants. "Angelus bad. Buffy punish."

Angelus frowned up at Buffy. "You really don't wanna go this route with me lover." Angelus told her. "Now unchain me like a good mate, and I'll just forget this and move on."

Buffy scowled at him and an angry growl rumbled in her throat. "Angelus cheat on Buffy. Buffy not forget… Buffy hurt." Buffy curled one of her little hands into a fist, before slamming it into Angelus face, making Angelus growl in pain and his hips bucked up against her, sending bolts of electricity through both of them. "You hurt Buffy a lot."

Angelus brought his head back down from the angle Buffy's punch had forced it to. The power behind the blow was staggering and filled with her pain. If he wasn't a vampire he was sure that he would have a broken neck right about now, not to mention more than an already fading bruise on the side of his face. Angelus could scent watery salt in the air from the tears welling in Buffy's eyes tears that the stubborn petite blond refused to shed. Buffy lifted her slightly bowed head so that Angelus could see her eyes, to see that they were narrowed in determination, a look that had been levelled on him once before… when she'd opened her eyes after catching the sword he had been about to plunge through her chest. He hadn't planned a fatal wound, he had wanted her to see the hell dimension he was about to sentence them to. Let her really feel the pain of her loss to him… Angelus shook his thoughts of the past away as Buffy began speaking again.

"Now Buffy hurt you back." She said firmly. Angelus growled and pulled against his restraints, as much as he knew he probably deserved whatever it was Buffy was planning to dish out to him, he couldn't stand being in a subservient role, even if her dominance was turning him on. He just couldn't do it! Buffy growled in warning, she was far from ready to let her lover, and mate free. She hadn't gotten around to punishing him yet… maybe she should have considered bringing a gag. Buffy leaned towards him again to press his arms into the mattress in an attempt to restrain his arms from struggling against the chains. Logically she knew that the cuffs as strong as they were, they hadn't been built to keep a Master vampire of Angelus calibre restrained for long.

Just as her hands touched the straining muscles of his biceps, the well toned muscles straining under her fingers. The metallic sound of the chain snapping rent the air and the next thing she knew was the feeling of air moving past her, before her back hit the soft feather mattress and Angelus' weight settled over her. Buffy glared up at him, not at all happy that her plans on punishing Angelus had been ruined by Angelus himself. Angelus stared down at her, not returning her glare just staring. His chocolate brown eyes darking as his pupils expanded with his lust. He growled however as the scents of at least four other males reached his nose once again.

The only male Buffy was supposed to smell like was him, it was only slightly better seeing as none were intimately ingrained on her skin, but it still bothered him, he didn't like that Buffy was spending time with guys he didn't know. He could hardly tolerate it when Xander's scent clung to her clothes or lightly to her skin if they'd hugged, but at least he knew the boy was no threat. Angelus brought up a hand and rested it around Buffy's neck firmly, making Buffy's eyes widen slightly and her hands went up to the one around her throat, fearing that the firm, but gentle hold may tighten in reprimand, that was what experience had taught her after all.

"I don't share either Buff. It's something you should remember if you want those pubescent males to live." He told her coolly, somewhat angered that after what he'd shared with her a couple of mornings before, she'd gone out and seemingly gotten drunk with guys he didn't know, but through all that his hand never tightened around her neck to a painful or air restricting degree and after a couple of moments Buffy calmed and removed her hands from around his.

She continued to glare up at him though. "I wasn't one who cheated." She said struggling to get all the words out, to remember how to pronounce them. It was so much easier just to say things straight and to the point, so many words in between were seemingly less and less necessary, and seemed to be slipping her mind completely, leaving her with only the basics.

Angelus stroked his thumb over her neck, feeling her soft skin over the raised flesh of the scar he had left on her skin and the steady thud of the pulse that beat against her jugular pumping blood up to her brain. Buffy closed her eyes and was quiet sure that she would be purring if she could. his touched igniting a burning flame inside her, one that always seemed to be just below the surface when she was close to Angelus. Her mate. Angelus scented the stirring of her arousal and he smiled at her. "Like that don't you baby."

Buffy opened her eyes to see the expression on his face, not seeing any cruelty or mocking Buffy smiled and bit her lower lip whilst she nodded her agreement. Her eyes locked with his and seeing his lust darkened eyes made another bolt of heat shoot through her to her core. This was nice, she loved this. She loved him, why was she always denying herself the pleasure of being with him like she was now? Well no more, she didn't want to be wary of him anymore, she didn't want to stay away from him. She just wanted to be with him. So she would and that was that. Angelus saw the sudden determination in her eyes and for a moment he was slightly worried that she planned on attacking him again with her tiny fists of fury.

With a swift sweeping motion Buffy swept away the hand that was caressing her throat and rolled them back over putting her whole body behind it to get his heavier body to do what she wanted. Settling herself on top of him once again Buffy dipped down and licked up his chest. She looked up at him with a smile as she heard him laugh and moan at the same time. Licking her way over to one of his nipples she took it between her teeth and nipped it, her teeth being more gentle this time and not really causing any pain. She flicked her tongue over the abused nipple, laving whatever small sting her gentle loving nip had caused, before tasting the soft skin covering Angelus' hard toned muscles.

She didn't get the chance to do anymore exploring as the moment she felt Angelus' hands on her he was rolling them back around so that he was above her. Buffy pouted up at him, and made a move to roll them back over, but Angelus dipped down and captured her pouty lower lip with his own. His hands immediately went to her top, and pulled it up over her head, and off, before throwing it carelessly to the ground. Angelus growled in unwarranted anger as his eyes were met with Buffy's bare breasts. She'd been out with those boys with no bra on, only the thin shirt she was wearing, that would do nothing to hide her nipples from the boys unworthy gazes.

Buffy sensed the danger in Angelus growl and moved to shove him off her. Angelus was a strong alpha male, if he was displeased he would hurt her if he got the chance. Angelus caught her arms and pinned them to the mattress making Buffy give him her own growl, one that was more pronounced then it usually was, the sound vibrated through him and add liquid fire to his loins. His hands tightened around her wrists as Buffy moved to release them, the urge in him to dominate this more primal version of his Buffy to strong to resist.

Buffy sensing that the danger had passed lifted her head from the mattress and met his lips with hers with a fire passion, she no longer cared about punishment or her anger over her mates infidelity, all she wanted was him inside her. She hadn't been with him in that way in a while after all and she missed him on every level. Her body ached with missing him, why had she waited so long to come to him again? She couldn't remember clearly, but she no longer cared, it didn't seem important anymore. Angelus moaned as her hot pink tongue caressed his lips begging for entrance into the cool cavern of his mouth, without hesitation he allowed his lips to part and Buffy's warm tongue to slip inside. His own tongue came up to duel with hers. Stroking massaging the invading flesh erotically, earning a muffled moan from his mate.

Impatiently Buffy raised her legs wrapping them around Angelus' hips grounding herself against the hard ridge she could feel pressing against her so intimately. She longed to feel that turgid flesh deep inside her. It had been far too long. Far too long without the touch and feel of her mate. With a strong movement Buffy rolled them back over. Settling herself on top of Angelus his hard cock pressing against her intimate flesh through the barriers of their clothes, unconcerned with the barriers and driven by a simple minded need to feel what only Angelus could make her feel, she rocked against him quickly developing a rhythm that steadily built the pressure between them as the pleasurable friction increased between them.

Angelus growled lustily as he looked up at his mate as she ground against him, bobbing herself up and down, making her bared breasts bounce delightfully as she moved driving herself towards her orgasm. Angelus kept a tight rein on his own building release. He refused to cum in his pants like an untried youth, but at the same time he was reluctant to remove Buffy from her present position there was just something so erotic about watching her take what she wanted. Sure he knew something wasn't quite right, but he wasn't one to not take advantage of a situation, especially when his mate didn't seem to be in any immediate danger, although he would most assuredly be meeting out punishment for the one responsible. Above him Buffy whimpered drawing his thoughts back to the present movement. Reaching up he grasped her hips with strong hands and helped her regulate her rhythm as she drew closer to her orgasm.

She rolled her hips against him in a hard motion searching blindly for her release trying to fight his hands as he kept her to her original pace not allowing her to move faster just yet. Buffy's eyes met his and she whined again, begging him with large lust darkened hazel eyes as she continued to ride him. Angelus gave her a smile, before thrusting his hips up as she thrust her hips down, making Buffy's head arch back giving him a wonderful erotic view of the tanned column of her neck, and throat, the scar that announced her as his future mate catching his eye, making it suddenly very difficult to control his facial features as he felt surging press of his fangs as they tried to lower and the muscles in his face twitching as they tried to change, but he wouldn't allow it! He'd down enough damage to his mate, he wouldn't fully claim her until she was ready, until she wanted him by her side as much as he wanted her by his.

Buffy pressed down against him more frantically, she could feel the edge of her release slipping away from her as the continued painfully slow pace worked her higher, but no closer to her goal. She made a frustrated sound in her throat that whined out past her lips. She lowered her head again so that she could look down at the male underneath her. He would have looked calm and collected as he looked up at her, if it wasn't for the amber tint to his eyes. Buffy growled in frustration she knew what he wanted, but she was reluctant to give it. She was a prideful creature after all. She didn't just bend to anyone's will.

Angelus thrust up against her teasingly, and slowed the pace of her hips even further with his hands. The muscles in his arms and shoulders bunched and bulged as he strained against her own considerable strength. Buffy whined once more, her need for her release growing stronger as her pleasure started to become almost painful as it continued to build with no real end in sight anymore. "Please!" Buffy whined. "Please, let… me." Buffy whimpered. "Let me… Angelus." Angelus growled in satisfaction pleased to hear her begging him. His hands loosened their hold on her hips, letting Buffy set her own pace. He stayed like that for a moment, concentrating on keeping his own building pleasure at bay as the friction Buffy was creating between increased as she sped up her movements as her crisis built inside her once again.

Angelus' eyes settled on Buffy's dusky pink nipples. The small nubs diamond hard, standing out as they bobbed up and down with Buffy's movements, silently begging for his attention. Leaving on hand to steady Buffy's thrusting hips Angelus reached up, smoothing his hand up her tanned, toned, soft skin. Brushing his fingers under the underside of one of Buffy's breasts, he moved up further capturing the pebbled nipple in between his fingers, giving it an almost painful tug. He heard Buffy cry out at that exact moment, her body shuddering against his, her mouth gasping for breath, as she hunched forward, falling towards him as her body went slack apart from the trembles that ran through her body from the aftershock of her orgasm.

Angelus released her nipple and held her against him for a small moment, allowing her the briefest of respites, before turning them over on the bed once more, the scent of her completion spurring his own arousal, making his hard cock press even more uncomfortably against the soft leather of his pants. Buffy mewled as Angelus' mouth attached itself to her neck nibbling gently at the skin just under her jaw, before moving down to pay attention to the scar that adorned her neck. She trembled as the action shot pleasure through her previously satisfied body. She arched up against him as his hands busied themselves with playing with her still pebbled nipples rolling the sensitive buds, between his fingers, before palming her breasts. Buffy brought her arms up to wrap around him, and frowned at the silky feel of the silk that still clung to his back.

Moving her arms around to his shoulders Buffy tugged at the material of his green silk shirt wanting it off him, wanting to feel his soft skin, not the material of the shirt. Feeling her tugging Angelus shifted so that he could remove the shirt, disregarding it on the floor without a single glance. Buffy moaned happily as his hands situated themselves back on her, running smoothly, intimately over her skin leaving tingly heated zaps of desire in their wake. His hands warming up as her body heat rose with her passion. Buffy ran her hands up his back, letting her nails graze against his skin, before burying her hands in his soft thick hair, just as his mouth came down on hers.

Buffy ran her fingers through his hair for a moment, before trailing her hands back down luxuriating in the feel of his hard muscles under soft skin. She reached the waist band of his pants and trailed her fingers around his hips until they met in the middle of his abdomen. Immediately she started working on the buttons, a soft annoyed growl escaping her as her fingers stumbled in their hurry, making the process take longer. Angelus smiled against her lips feeling her small fingers tugging at the leather trying to force it to do what she wanted even as her fingers slipped and slid in there impatience. He trailed kissed from her mouth down her chin, moving down her throat. Angelus moved his thumbs up and down the sides of Buffy's breasts, caressing the soft outer curve of them as he steadily moved closer and closer to them.

Buffy mewled in delight as his cool mouth made contact with the sensitive peak of her breast, before his tongue flicked out, and swirled around the aureole, making her nipple if possible tighten further begging for his attention. Forgetting his pants for the moment, Buffy trailed her hands back up his chest, her nail running over his own nipples, earning her a deep lusty growl. Sliding her hands on up Buffy slid her hands back up into his soft hair, running her nails over his scalp for a moment, before holding him to her breast as she arched up against him, as her flicked the small bud with his tongue.

Angelus moved one of his hands up to give attention to the neglected breast, and heard a soft moan for his trouble. Working her breast expertly with his fingers, he slid his free hand down her body, feeling the toned contours of her waist, the muscles trembling underneath his touch, the heat from her skin rising as her arousal grew with his every touch. Reaching the creamy coloured pants Buffy had on quickly and efficiently undoing the button and pulling down the zipper Angelus rid Buffy of her pants, making the scent of her arousal grow in the room. Ridding her of her panties next Angelus groaned out a growl at the heated wetness of them.

Angelus looked up from her breasts, meeting Buffy's hood lust darkened eyes, using the hands that were still buried in his hair, she pulled her to him and caught him in a passionate lusty kiss, as she arched her hips up against him, grinding herself against the erection that was still confined in the soft leather of his pants. Angelus reached down and quickly removed his pants, a groan of pleasure escaping him as his cock sprung free of its confines. Buffy moaned as she felt his hardness against her, free of the leather, its cool throbbing heat setting her own core to pulsing in urgent need. Buffy tried to turn them over, but Angelus didn't allow her to, using his superior body weight to his advantage. Buffy growled up at him almost playfully as she arched her hips up against him, rubbing herself against his cock, tempting him. Angelus crushed his lips against hers, as one of his hands settled over her hips, before he thrust forward, sheathing himself in her tight wet burning heat. Buffy arced against him with a cry which he swallowed. Buffy's hands roamed around him caressing every inch of skin she could find, as Angelus slowly pulled out of her, until only the tip of him remained, before thrusting back in. Buffy met his thrust, clenching her sheath around him as she did so.

Angelus growled feeling his control slipping from him as he picked up the pace, his own need for release getting stronger as the scents of her arousal rose up around getting stronger with every thrust of his hips. Buffy suckled at Angelus' neck, her blunt human teeth scraping against the skin teasingly. Angelus growled deeply and his pace hardened at the feel, his face shifting beyond his control, as her actions brought forth his bloodlust as well as his desire to mark her officially. Looking away from the tender, slender column of her throat, Angelus pulled her away from his neck. To his surprise Buffy arched up off the bed and caught him in another kiss, uncaring of the demonic features of his face. He felt her tongue running over his fangs exploring them like she had done once so long ago in an ice rink.

Buffy ran her tongue over the sharp points of his fangs, and accidently pricked her tongue on one of his longer fangs. Angelus growled as the scent and taste of her blood filled his mouth. Suckling vigorously at her tongue forcing the sluggish flow of blood from her tongue to move faster. His desire grew as the taste of her blood washed over his tongue, and his hips picked up a brutal speed, that would have done injury to a normal human. Buffy however clutched him tighter, and did her best to keep up with the unruly pace, Wrapping her legs around him in an attempt to make it easier on herself. Angelus growled lowly as he felt the tell tale feeling of his balls tightening, as he fought off the urge to make the small wound bigger, as it stopped bleeding. Moving a hand down between their driving bodies, Angelus began gently manipulating Buffy's clit. Expertly stroking the bundle of nerves, making Buffy arch against him and lose the rhythm as he tipped her over the edge. Buffy cried out and arched against him, as she came, her eyes closing tightly and for a moment she stopped breathing as the sensations swept over her, her sheath spasming around Angelus' still driving cock.

Angelus groaned at the feel of her sheath spasming around him the feel of it spurring on his own release as his balls tightened further, before he tipped over the edge, his dead seed shooting up into his young lovers womb, as he rode out his release. Clasping on top of her for a moment as the aftershocks washed over them leaving them both in the hazy pleasure of their afterglow. A moment later Angelus rolled off Buffy, feeling and hearing the constricted breathing of her lungs as his weight crushed her. Angelus pulled the sated Buffy with him settling her against his chest as his eyes closed to enjoy the moment, wanting to feel close to his future mate for as long as possible. Because he was sure that whenever they fixed what had happened to his mate, she would be back to denying that she loved him, mistrusting his actions. Angelus held her tighter against him, almost wishing that this Buffy would stay… almost.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander watched from a safe distance, his rag in hand as Kip, Hunt, Colm and Roy all squatted in their chairs. Kip and Hunt were slapping each other with the backs of their hands. Roy was scratching at his chest, whilst trying to get his shirt over his head. Reluctantly Xander inched towards them and began wiping down the table. "Pay up and go home, guys." He told them after a beat, glancing around at them warily not wanting to get in the way of a slapping hand. Roy finally pulled the shirt off over his head, a goofy happy smile in place over his success.

"Mmph." Colm grunted, before slapping Roy, before pointing to the men's room. Roy slapped Colm in return, as Colm got off his chair and walked towards the men's room.

Kip took out his wallet and pulled out all the bills from his wallet, and threw it down on the table towards Xander. Xander began picking through them, carefully looking at the amount on the bills. "I'll take this one and this one. And…" Xander looked up at them. "Man, you know, I've always had a problem calculating the tip. And you guys being so dapper of brain, maybe you could help me." Roy looked up at him, his lower lip hanging loosely, a wary look on his face, but willing to help Xander anyway, not wanting to miss a chance to show off his skills. "Good. Ok. See, if your bill comes to thirty dollars. And generally, people tip what, approximately thirty percent? That would make your tip, what?"

Xander regarded Roy slightly anxious, not sure if he was about to be on the receiving on one of their less then tender looking slaps. Roy stared up at him, trying to work it out, a scowl darkening his face as it took a while longer then it should, before finally, still not sure of the amount, and not wanting to look as stupid as he was feeling in that moment, he just shoved the rest of the bills at Xander who picked them up and began sorting through them. "You are so smart! This is so the right amount!" Xander said as he took in the amount he had just 'earned', but he refused to feel bad about it, after all the whole lot of them had been unnecessarily mean to him.

A muffled crash sounded from the men's room, making them look over towards the door, Xander looked away with a crooked smile on his face. "Somebody didn't have their fibre today." He joked. A louder crash sounded from the room, and Xander's smile faded as he realized something could be seriously wrong, and in Sunnydale seriously wrong had a whole different meaning. "Hey, you alright in there?" Xander asked, unwilling to go in there himself. Xander received no answer, apart from more loud smashing. Xander cautiously approached the washroom door. "Colm?" Xander asked hesitantly, suddenly wishing that he hadn't sent The Slayer packing a good hour or so ago.

There was another loud crash as the door to the men's room burst through the wooden door, seeing Xander the creature leapt at him with a screaming holler. The creature knocked Xander to the ground, flattening him. The creature hunkered down, hovering over the stunned and disoriented Xander, making loud threatening noises. Xander looked up at the yellow toothed, matted haired creature. Xander looked into the cro-magnon Colm's eyes, with his wide scared ones, before Cro-magnon Colm raised both his arms, his hands curled into fists and beat Xander over the head with them, sending the boy into dark unconsciousness.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander opened his eyes blearily, struggling to focus his eyes. Kip, Hunt and Roy stand looking at the caveman with a mixture of curiosity, shock and intrigue. Roy began to back up as panic began to take over, knocking over a couple of chairs. "Oh… God…"

Hunt began moving back as well. "S'get outa h…" Before he can finish cro-magnon-Colm let out a loud primal roar into Xander's face, making him cringe at the noise and the smell of his breath, the combination wakes him up as well as smelling salts would have. Xander took in the matted hair once again, and the torn clothes and he blinked in surprise. "Colm?"

Cro-mag Colm sniffed Xander's ear, taking in his sent. Xander jabbed him as hard as he could in the balls, making Colm yelp in pain and fall away from him. Xander rolled away, before scrambling to his feet.

In front of him he saw Kip, Hunt and Roy overcome with painful looking violent convulsions as their bodies changed, loud screams of pain escaping them as their torsos expanded and their mouths changed and their teeth rotted to that ugly yellow. Their voices as they continued to change, became deeper and more primal. Xander continued to watched, transfixed to his spot for the moment, by horror. Their arms grew longer, and more muscular and their shirts ripped as the shirt could no longer take the change in their bodies. Their eyebrows grew thicker and their foreheads grew out to hang over their eyes more. Their feet burst out of their shoes as they grew too large for them. Their backs hunched over, making them shorter, but no less terrifying and imposing. Their hair grows on the back of their hands, face, feet and legs, until the transformation is finally complete.

Xander looked around himself desperately. Cro-Mag Kip realizing that he's trapped tossed the table boxing him in aside like it was nothing more than a tooth pick. Cro-Mag Hunt and Roy move over to Kip where they are soon joined by Cro-Mag Colm, and together they all began to advance on Xander. Xander held up his hands in a mean no harm gesture. "We're cool. Easy." Xander murmured as he backed away with each step they took. The Cro-Mag's don't understand, but they can sense his fear making them feel powerful and tough… which they were. They yelled primally as they continued to advance scaring the hell out of Xander.

Xander stifled a yelp as his back hit a wall. "Help!" Xander yelled, softly, not wanting to yell at full strength in case it excited the cavemen into action. "Oh God." Xander closed his eyes as the Cro-Mag's got to close for comfort, and he cringed as he waited for the blows he expected, but not yet ready to give up entirely he reached into his pocket and pulled out his lighter, flicking it open making the flame burst forth he held it out at them. Startled and frightened that Cro-Mag's howled and backed off as one Cro-Mag Kip, Hunt and Roy hiding behind Cro-Mag Colm who was looking at them flame conflicted. His eyes fixed on the flame, Cro-Mag Colm stopped moving back as he focused all his brainpower into finding words. "Fire. Bad… Fire… pretty." He said taking a cautious step towards it. Xander shoved it at him again. "Fire angry!" Xander shouted and ran at them with it. The Cro-Mag's let out terrified sounds as they ran from the room Colm taking a little extra time. Xander breathed a sigh of relief as he closed the door behind them and latched it shut.

Xander moved quickly through the College pub and rushed into the back room. "Jack! Jack!" Xander called his eyes searching for his boss. Jack came into his sight carrying a box filled with bottles of beer. "We got a problem. The guys, they, they're…" Xander calmed himself. "Some of your patrons are turning into cavemen."

Jack turned towards Xander and smiled a hand coming down to rest casually on a keg of Black Frost. "They had it coming." He replied to Xander's shock.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

The four Cro-Mag's grunted involuntarily as they shuffled along a path on the outskirts of the college. A couple of students passing them screamed in terror and ran away as quickly as they could, the Cro-Mag's ignored them their attention fixed on a tree, hurrying towards it they stop and inspect it. Cro-Mag Hunt reached up and pulled off a leaf and began eating it. Cro-Mag Kip, snatched it away and shoved the other half into his mouth, much to Cro-Mag Hunt's displeasure. To show it Hunt hit Kip, who returned the favour.

Cro-Mag Colm throws a leg up and over a low branch of the tree and began to climb, moving from one side of the tree to the other. Carefully moving out onto a low branch Colm began jumping up and down on the branch, to the delight of his three companions who began jumping up and down as well. The branch unable to hold Cro-Mag Colm's wait began to crack, and eventually fell from the tree all together making Colm fall to the ground, which in turn made his buddies laugh in delight. Cro-Mag COlm clambered to his feet and annoyed with his friends laughter he pulled of a smaller section of the branch he had been jumping up and down on. Shuffling over to them Cro-Mag Colm clubbed Cro-Mag Roy over the head, much to Roy's dismay. But quickly got over it as he joined in the grunting cheers of his friend, before they began climbing the tree in search of their own clubs.

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"What?" Xander exclaimed as he followed his boss, out of the back room and into the main pub.

"I have been taking abuse from snot-nosed kids for twenty years. Come in here with their snotty attitudes , drinking their fruity microbrews and spouting on about philosophy like it means a damn thing." Jack looked over at Xander. "Think their different than us."

"Well they are now…" Xander muttered.

"They ain't." Jack disagreed, his hands resting on his bar. "That's the great thing about beer. Makes all men the same."

"What are we talking about beer?" Xander asked frantically. "The guys are…" Xander paused as realization hit him and his eyes drifted over to the Black Frost leaver. "The beer."

Jack nodded and he smiled over at Xander. "Neat, huh? My brother in law's a warlock. Showed me how to…"

Xander glared at his boss and shook his head. "No! not neat! I served them that beer." Xander froze and fear and guilt ate at him. "I served Buffy that beer." Xander calmed himself and fixed his boss with a firm gaze. "Uh, how much beer would you say a person would need to consume before they started seriously questing for fire?"

Jack shrugged. "Relax. It'll wear off in a day or so."

Xander glared at him. "In a day or so, someone's gonna get killed." Xander stalked past his boss and headed out the door, leaving it open behind him. Moving a couple of steps away, he paused and back tracked, popping his head back into the pub. "You're a bad, bad man." He scolded, before hurrying on his way. He had to get to Giles' then he had to find Buffy.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

The Cro-Mag's ran spinning around in awe of their surroundings, their new found focus being the street lamps that dotted the side of the road. Cro-Mag Hunt saw a car drive past and jumped up and down in excitement, before venturing out on the road, a car tooted at him as it swerved around him. Cro-Mag Hunt spun around trying to follow it with his eyes. Excited Cro-Mag Hunt with the screeching encouragement of his buddies began chasing another car. Another car a student type, compact clunker, hit Cro-Mag Hunt full on sending him flying backwards, to land on his back. Cro-Mag Hunt whimpered and cried out in pain as he clutched his right leg. The other Cro-Mag's ventured towards him. The driver a young male student got out of his car visibly shaken by the incident. He ventured around the car approaching the group as the Cro-Mag's stood around their fallen friend. "I didn't see him!" The Driver said shakily. "Is he ok?" He asked.

The three standing Cro-Mag's turned towards him and growled angrily. The young driver stopped dead in his tracks fear lancing through him. In a rage for their friend the Cro-Mag's run at the driver, who turned and fled down the road. The Cro-Mag's don't give chase not understanding that it was really the boy who had hit their friend not the car. Turning their rage on the car, using their makeshift clubs , the hit the car, smashing the window and putting dints in the roof and bonnet, and trunk of the car. Cro-Mag Colm stopped his attack suddenly scents reaching his nose. Turning his eyes away from the car he settled his gaze on two female students walking side by side down a footpath, books in hand. Colm howled, drawing his friends attention, and their gazes to feel on the females, as they stopped and looked over at them suddenly terrified. "Females." Colm grunted. Making his friends yell and grunt.

The two girls drop their books and run for it. The Cro-Mag's not willing to loss the females chased after them with a single minded mentality, leaving Cro-Mag Hunt on the ground as he continued to clutch his broken leg.

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Xander and Giles walked into Buffy and Willow's dorm room hall, walking a slightly hurried pace. "I cut her off before the others. I don't think she had as much to drink." Xander said trying to explain to Giles, as well as defend himself at the same time.

"I can't believe you served Buffy that beer." Giles admonished.

"I didn't know it was evil!" Xander muttered defensively.

"You knew it was beer." Giles muttered.

"Well, excuse me Mr. I-spent-the-60's-in-an-electric-koolaid-funky-Satan-groove." Xander quipped.

"Early seventies." Giles corrected as they turned a corner. "And you should both know better."

"Hey! I'm not the dad of her. Buffy's a grown up, and she's intelligent enough to…" Xander broke off as he threw open the door to reveal an empty room. Xander walked inside and looked around, the closet door was open and so was the weapons trunk, with weapons scattered around on the ground. "Uh Giles… I think we may have a problem."

Giles walked over to Xander took in the mess of weapons on the floor. Xander looked up at him. "So any idea just exactly where our weaponed up Slayer has gone?"

Giles took off his glasses and began cleaning them. "Well she is The Slayer, and Slayer's have the drive to slay. So it's possible she's in a cemetery…" Giles trailed off as he tried to think of the most likely place Buffy would be, he looked down at the scattered weapons on the floor and those still remaining in the trunk. "Although it doesn't really look like she's taken anything with her."

Xander stilled and completely turned towards Giles. "Giles… I may be completely off base here… and you have no idea how much I hope I am… but Buffy does seem to gravitate towards…" Xander trailed off as Giles fisted one of his hands and slapped against his other one in an 'of course' gesture. "I was afraid that I was right." Xander muttered, before picking up a stake on the ground and a thick trusty looking cross, before looking inside the trunk and pulling out a bottle of holy water. He wasn't taking any chances. Giles walked over and picked up a crossbow feeling the need to have some kind of weapon himself.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus lay on his side on his large bed his head propped up by his arm as he watched his mate who was across from him crouched down by the wall a stick of charcoal in her hands, other lay scattered around her feet. His room was mess from her search for something to draw with, and now the wall she was crouched in front of was getting covered in primitive drawings of man. She was dressed in his large green silk shirt and was once again wearing her cream coloured pants, her feet bare. Angelus sighed and rolled over onto his back. His earlier desire of almost wanting Buffy to stay like this had fled long ago. It was Buffy, he knew that, but it wasn't the Buffy he had come to know. She wasn't anything like the smart quick-witted woman he was planning on making his mate. Hell she could barely string three words together at a time now, and when she did speak it was disjointed it and used as few words as possible.

It hadn't taken him long to realize that whatever had happened to Buffy it had made her as dumb as a post, which irritated him. The women in the 17th-18th-and even early 19th century had been mostly dumb as posts and they'd always managed to bore him to tears even as Liam, they'd only been good for one thing, fucking as a human, and food as a demon. Angel hadn't lied when he said that as Liam he'd always wanted to meet a women who was smart… different, and with a mind of her own.

Angelus got off the bed and walked over to his pants a frown on his face, as he picked them up and slipped them on. He turned back to Buffy as she continued to draw the stick figures on the wall. Her was still mussed and it made the corners of his mouth curl up. It would be amusing to see Buffy's reaction when she came back to herself, and she would Angelus silently vowed and whoever did it to her would pay and pay dearly! Angelus looked towards the door as he heard people entering his mansion and he sighed, his eyes returning to his mate, he'd had a feeling they'd be having company soon, and the only good thing he could see about it was that he'd at least get some answers as to what had happened to his girl.

A few moments later after hearing doors being opened and closed the door to his room burst open and Xander and Giles burst in. Angelus raised an unconcerned eyebrow at the stake and cross in Xander's hands and the crossbow in Giles. "Well it's good to see you too." Angelus said mockingly.

Xander scowled at him, but seeing movement out of the corner of his eyes he looked over and saw Buffy. "Oh, thank God she'd not a Neanderthal." Xander muttered his shoulders sagging in relief. Angelus raised an eyebrow at that, and small growl rumbled in his throat someone had tried to make his Buffy a Neanderthal? Angelus turned his eyes to the diminutive blond, at least it explained the way she was acting. "See, Giles I told you I cut her off before everyone else."

"You still served her beer." Giles muttered.

"And I told you Buffy is a grown…" Xander trailed off as Buffy turned from her drawing to look at the noise makers.

Standing Buffy turned to face them, her eyes narrowed at them as she took in the weapons they were carrying all of which were pointed at Angelus. Buffy frowned and walked cautiously over to Angelus standing in front of him. "Angelus mine." Buffy said darkly, her eyes going from the weapons to them, her hazel eyes flashing with her meaning. 'Put the weapons down.'

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Willow studied her open book with sad eyes not really able to concentrate on the words in the book, as her mind kept going over Veruca and Oz and Oz's seeming attraction to the lead singer of the band 'Shy'. What kind of band would name themselves 'Shy' anyway. It was a weird and stupid name! Willow thought grumpily. The red head looked up as she heard a crash from up the stairs where the entrance was located. Willow jumped up with a start as the three Cro-Magnons came down the stairs the two girls they had been chasing semi- conscious now being dragged in with them. Willow hesitated stunned for a moment, her eyes met that of Cro-Mag Hunt, and he ambled towards her. Willow turned to try and run only to be conked over the head with Hunt's makeshift club.

A boy the only other person left in the Grotto now that it was as late as it, tried to tuck himself away in a corner. Cro-Mag Hunt turned and hunted him down following his nose. Upon finding him Hunt brought his club down sharp on the boy's head sending him into unconsciousness to.

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In Angelus' room in the mansion Giles and Xander had reluctantly put down their weapons and were now staring at a Buffy who was quiet happily sitting on Angelus' lap, her fingers tracing over his bare chest in a rather intimate way that made Xander grit his teeth in disgust, it was bad enough smelling the remnants of their sex in the air, but to see Buffy so snugly with the evil demon was enough to make him want to storm off in a rage born of jealousy and hurt. Angelus wasn't safe, Angelus was a killer what was Buffy doing protecting him a near attacking them when they had hesitated to put down their weapons! It was damn revolting to see so comfortable in Angelus' presence.

Giles on the other hand was rather fascinated despite himself. He'd had an inkling for a while now that Angelus' feelings for Buffy had evolved dramatically so since her saving his life just before graduation last year, and now looking at the two of them together he was certain of it. It wasn't that Angelus made it obvious, because he didn't, it was just in the way he held her, making sure Buffy didn't fall off his lap, when she did something that upset her balance and threatened to send her sprawling on the floor. And it wasn't even a shock to him to see that Buffy really did like Angelus. Had called him hers, which he supposed in her state of mind was a high compliment. Giles felt his heart constrict at that, he'd always supposed, but to see that Buffy held what appeared to be indisputable affection for the demon that had killed Jenny hurt, but he shoved it aside for now and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Fascinating, really." He mumbled as he watched Buffy almost take another fall as she shifted on Angelus' lap, only for the demon to catch her and pull her back against him. Giles sighed. "Well, at least she doesn't seem to be in any immediate danger…"

Angelus looked up at him and frowned. "What happened to her?"

Giles shifted uncomfortably, he didn't like where Angelus and Buffy seemed to be heading, and he didn't like that Angelus seemed to think that he deserved to know what was going, but he really couldn't deny the genuine care in which Angelus was holding the petite blond on his lap, making sure that she didn't fall from her precarious position. "The owner of the pub at the college campus… h-he ah, did something to the beer…"

Buffy looked up at the mention of beer and wiggled in Angelus' lap wanting off, reluctantly Angelus let her slide off and she looked at Giles eagerly. "Beer! Want beer!"

Giles shook his head. "You can't have beer." He told her firmly.

Buffy looked at Giles darkly. "Want beer." She growled

Xander eyed Buffy worriedly, before glancing over at the former Watcher. "Giles, don't make cave Slayer unhappy. We still have a couple of days before the beer wears off."

Angelus stood up and walked silently over to Buffy, but it didn't matter as she swung around to face him. "Buffy, no more beer." He said shaking his head solemnly.

Buffy scowled up at him. "Buffy want… want beer!" She said darkly, her anger growing with each and every refusal.

"Can we please stop with the making Buffy unhappy." Xander asked worriedly.

Buffy spun round to face him. "Buffy strong." She said hitting her chest once.

Xander nodded adamantly in agreement. "Yes, Buffy strong."

"Buffy want beer." She stated, she was strong therefore she got what she wanted!

Xander shook his head and tried to sound reasonable. "No, Buffy get…" Buffy annoyed and cranky with all the refusal of her desires, rushed forwards deftly pushing Giles out of her way and sending him skidding across the floor, before running out the open door.

"Shit." Angelus muttered, as he ran out of the room after her, worried for her in this state, even as he felt relieved as the knowledge hit him that Buffy would be back to herself in only a couple of days time, possibly sooner with her being The Slayer.

In the room Xander looked at Giles worriedly as the older man winced his head having cracked harshly against the stone when Buffy had pushed him out of her way and onto the ground. "Giles…" Xander began.

Giles cut him off instinctively knowing what Xander was going to ask. "I'm fine. Get her." Giles muttered with a wince. Xander ran out the door shortly followed by Giles who was still holding his head. They both paused just outside the door to Angelus' room as they looked down the hallway of the mansion they were in. "Ah, Giles. You wouldn't happen to remember which ways out would ya?" Xander asked hopefully.

Giles grimaced, his head was pounding and Xander was asking him if he knew the way out of a mansion he hadn't set foot in til today? Giles looked around himself, before shrugging. "Let's go this way, we'd have to find an exit eventually." Giles hefted the crossbow he had picked up on his way and Xander seeing it hurried back into the room and grabbed his stake and cross, somewhat glad that the holy water had been in his pocket and there for had been allowed to reside unnoticed on his person.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

In the Grotto Cro-Mag Roy knelt over the still unconscious Willow as she lay helpless on the floor. "Woman." Roy grunted, before punching himself in the chest. "Man." He cried as he jumped up. The Cro-Mag's had blocked off the exits, not wanting any of their women to escape them. Then piling books and broken chair legs in the centre of the room they had somehow managed to get fire started. Cro-Mag Colm raised his club high above his head in triumph. "Woman! Yahhhh!" He cried, and began jumping up and down in his excitement. Cro-Mag Roy and Kip quickly joined in as well primal grunts escaping them as they did so. Unnoticed by the excited Cro-Mag's a chair leg on the outskirts of the fire tipped over and the flame lapped higher in its search for more fuel and it quickly spread to some newspapers by a knocked over table, then up the table leg, the dry lacquer making the wood catch on fire quicker then it normally wood.

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Angelus muttered a curse under his breath as he continued to run after his mate. He was surprised that she had managed to get so far, he should have at least been able to see her up ahead of him, but he couldn't, it seemed that not even the slight sideways gait slowed her down when she really wanted speed. Angelus paused looking around the night, as he got his bearings, he was on the college campus now, it wasn't too far away from the mansion, but he'd thought that he'd have at least caught up with her now. Following after her scent again Angelus ran off the path and cut across a wood area, emerging from the he smiled and breathed out a small unnecessary sigh of relief at having finally found her.

Slowing down he approached her at a walk as Buffy looked around herself evidently confused, as she looked around the woods. "A little lost there, lover."Angelus asked as he came to a stop in front of her. Buffy looked up at him and Angelus reached over and put a hand on her arm. Buffy reacted instantly, jerking away from him, and growling up at him threateningly as she backed up a couple of steps. Angelus gave her a charming half smile. "Oh come on, you can't be that mad at me." He stifled the urge to reach for her again. "I just want what's best for you."

Buffy looked up at him with wide eyes, a frown still on her face. "You want, what best for Buffy?" She asked her speech broken as she struggled to form the words.

Angelus nodded. "That's right. And beer no good for Buffy."

Buffy's expression cleared as she moved closer to him and Angelus smiled thinking that he had finally gotten through to her. Buffy sidled up to him snuffling at him, moving up on tip toe so that she could reach the crook of his neck, using her hands to balance herself as she placed them against his bare chest. "Mate smell nice." Buffy flicked her tongue out and licked against the skin once. "Smell of us."

Angelus couldn't help, but smile at her words, leaning down he obligingly sniffed at her neck to, receiving a small giggle as his cool unneeded breath washed against her neck. "You smell of us too."

Buffy froze against Angelus as her nose picked another scent, a scent that had warning flags flaring in her mind, and she pushed back away from him and stepped slightly to the side, her eyes focused on a large cloud of rising smoke coming from a part of the campus not too far from where she stood. Angelus turned slowly and followed her gaze, his nose also picking up the scent of smoke now that he wasn't fully focused on finding Buffy. Buffy frowned. "Fire…bad!" She exclaimed.

"Oh crap." Angelus grumbled, his eyes back on his Slayer, he made to grab her, but Buffy moved an instant quicker as she sprinted forward and Angelus' hand closed around thin air. "Bloody Slayer mentality! Couldn't the spell on the beer have struck that out of her too?" He muttered as he chased after a moment later.

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Giles and Xander finally found an exit out of the mansion and hurried along outside. Knowing that Buffy would be heading for the campus in search of beer the two moved in the direction of the campus, the sight of billowing smoke in that direction making them move faster.

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Buffy paused in front of the door to the Grotto, the scent of the smoke coming from inside making her nose crinkle, before she moved inside the building, travelling through the billowing smoke and moving three quarters of the way down the stairs, before she was cut off by the burning barricade. Buffy looked at the flames and couldn't help, but think that they were pretty as they danced from the wood as they burned. Buffy reached out a hand, one of her fingers extended. Touching the tip of a burning piece of chair leg, Buffy pulled her finger back with a small yelp of pain, before taking the burnt finger into her mouth trying to sooth the pain away.

Buffy looked around and spotted a fire extinguisher on a wall. Reaching over she ripped it from its bracket. Pulling it towards her Buffy frowned at the all the gadgets attached to the top of it. Turning it around in her hands she tried to figure out how to use it. She touched the black tubes, and the strange looking metal thing. Confused, Buffy threw it straight through the wall of flames that were blocking her entrance into the building, a hopeful look on her face. She frowned however when the flames didn't go down at all. Buffy looked beyond the flames wondering what to do, and her eyes landed on Willow, almost instantly recognition hit her as she took in the prone form of the red head. As she watched Willow's hand twitched and she groaned as she started to come to.

Buffy's expression set into determined lines, and without further hesitation she took a strong step forward, and propelled herself forward, leaping over the flames, the flames licking at her clothes for a moment, before she was clear of the fire. Buffy landed with a neat tuck and roll, a little across from Willow.

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Angelus ran up to the burning building his nostrils flaring as he desperately tried to pick up Buffy's scent through the strong thick scent of the smoke that was now billowing out the door. He couldn't be certain, but he thought he could scent Buffy having gone inside. Angelus cursed the smoke for slowing him up after he'd lost sight of Buffy for a moment. Without further hesitation Angelus ran through the door.

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Giles and Xander made it on to the campus and ran towards the Grotto, coming to a halt as they took in the firemen, police and the paramedics that had arrived on the scene. "Do you see Buffy anywhere?" Xander asked looking around desperately hoping to see the petite blond in amongst the crowd, even the sight of Angelus' tall figure would have been welcome at this point. Giles scanned the crowd to, but he had the sinking feeling that Buffy was somewhere inside the building. No matter what had happened, she was still The Slayer after all.

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Angelus came to a stop at the roaring fire of the barricade, unable to move past it. His eyes searched past the flames to find, Buffy as she moved over to Willow, patting her back trying to get the girl to wake up fully. "Buff!" Angelus called, wanting to go to her, but with his highly flammable state, couldn't move past the thick wall of flames. Buffy looked over at him, upon hearing her name, before she turned her attention away from him, and returned it fully to the red head still lying on the ground. "Damn it, lover!" Angelus growled, and made to move forward, only to be beaten back as the flames roared higher, reluctantly Angelus backed up a couple of steps, his eyes still focused on his mate, a feeling of helplessness filling him.

Buffy giving up on trying to make Willow regain complete consciousness pulled her up. The Cro-Mag's now noticing the new girl in their midst, advanced upon her, in a frenzied state. Buffy reached down and grabbed a not burning table leg, and swung it at the Cro-Mag's with a low growl, as she walked forward pulling Willow away from the fire. The Cro-Mag's fell back, the heat of the growing fire gaining more of their attention then the thought of a new woman in their midst. Buffy came to a stop when she figured that she had pulled Willow far enough away from the fire. A sudden screech from the Cro-Mag's made Buffy look over at them to see that they were trying to climb up the walls. Jumping up and slapping it with their hands as they tried to figure out how to get over.

Buffy frowned as she watched them as the flames grew closer to them. "Bad, bad, bad." Buffy muttered to herself. She glanced over at the barricade she had jumped over to get in here, and her eyes landed on Angelus who was standing further back now his eyes still on her, even as he flinched away from the growing flames from the barricade. Buffy turned her attention away from him, she needed to get them out of here! Her eyes landed on a small grated window across from her close to the ceiling. Looking up Buffy saw the pipes running across the ceiling, and placing Willow back down on the ground she jumped for them, nimbly jump high into the air to catch the pipes firming in her hands. Without hesitation she moved like a monkey down the pipes.

Within seconds she reached the swinging higher up she locked her legs around the pipes and allowed her upper body to swing down, using her momentum to her advantage she kept going her arms outstretched and she grabbed the grating that served to protect the window from the inside, yanking it off she threw it at the window as she swung back effectively smashing it. Her task done, Buffy dropped down from the ceiling and onto the ground, quickly crossing over to Willow.

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Angelus having seen Buffy break the window, turned and headed out of the building, impatiently pushing a firemen who rushed over to him out of his way as he stalked quickly around the building heading towards the window he'd seen Buffy break. Xander and Giles who'd been standing around hopelessly waiting for the firemen to get their act together whilst hoping to catch a glimpse of either Buffy or Angelus followed after him.

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The Cro-Mag's having also seen Buffy break the window rushed over to it, tipping a bookcase that had been situated close to the window against it, and used it to climb up and out of the broken window. One of the sorority girls who had been more conscious then the other, shock her friend and pointed to the window, together they walked over the more conscious one helping the less conscious one walk over, before proceeding to help her friend climb up the bookcase and out the broken window, both girls grateful for the helping hand they received by a young boy and older man with glasses, reluctantly they settled down beside the Cro-Mag's who seemed content to ignore them as they began slapping each other, all of them calmer now that they were away from the heat producing flames.

Angelus watched the window silently his brown eyes intense as he waited impatiently for his blond to come out of the burning building.

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Buffy helped Willow stand up as the red head began to wake up more fully. "Buffy?" The red head murmured. Buffy didn't answer beyond leading Willow towards the bookcase. Buffy helped the slightly disorientated Willow climb up the bookcase, her hands guiding her up making sure she couldn't fall down. Willow looked up surprised as her hand was grabbed and she smiled at Xander, before she started coughing trying to expel the smoke from her lungs. "Are you alright?" Xander asked as he walked Willow a short distance away from the window and over to Giles.

"Buffy's still in there." She said worriedly looking back at the window.

Angelus's hands clenched into fists. _'Come on, lover. Get out of there!'_ He thought his guts twisting into knots inside him as he waited, his patience wearing thin with his anxiety for his mates safety.

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Buffy looked around the burning building trying to see if the building was now empty apart from her. Her eyes caught on the flames and for a moment she was transfixed by the sight, the flames really were pretty. Buffy heard an anxious snarl coming from above her, and she turned away from the flames, and began climbing up the bookcase, headed towards where her mate awaited her. Reaching the top of the bookcase Buffy let out a slightly surprised yip as her hand was grabbed, and she was pulled quickly out the rest of the way and pulled into a strong unyielding embrace.

Buffy stood stiffly for a moment, before she relaxed into him and her own arms came up to hold him. Across from them Giles, Xander and Willow watched shocked at the very public display of emotion that Angelus was showing towards Buffy in his relief that she was safely out of the building. Angelus ignored them, he didn't care about them, or what they thought, all that mattered to him in this moment was that his future mate was safe and out of the retched building. Angelus' eyes flashed amber for a moment as he thought of the man responsible for his mates current condition, if she hadn't been magically drugged, she would have known how to put out the fire with the extinguisher, that had suspiciously not been in its bracket when he'd reached for it. That man would have hell to pay!

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A while later, firemen milled about their job almost done now that the fire had finally been successfully put out. Willow sat on a bench an EMT walking away from her, having assessed that after a bit of oxygen that she was fine, only small bump on the back of her head. Buffy squatted on the bench beside her, having managed to untangle herself from Angelus who stood beside her, not sure whether or not he believed the EMT that had looked over Buffy when she'd said that his girl was going to be alright.

Buffy stroked Willow's hair a concerned expression on her face, her hazel eyes slightly unfocused. "You guys have enough fun for one night?" Xander eyes doing his conscious best to ignore Angelus in light of the fact that Angelus had at least done something to help.

Willow nodded slowly her head still feeling a little dizzy from all the smoke and the crack over the head she had received. Yes, please."

"Tired." Buffy admitted, her hand dropping from Willow's hair.

"And was there a lesson in all this. What have we learned about beer?" Xander asked.

Buffy looked up at him suddenly more alert. "Foamy." She exclaimed with a smile.

Xander nodded. "Good. Just as long as we're clear."

Angelus shook his head and rested his hand on Buffy's head gently stroking her hair. "No more beer for Buffy." Angelus said firmly.

Buffy shot him a look out of the corner of her eye, but was too drained to do anything about and so simply nuzzled his hand, unknowingly making Xander look away with a scowl. Giles watched the interaction with sad eyes, he didn't like it. He really didn't like it, sure Buffy deserved a private life… but why Angelus? Why did it have to be the demon that had killed his Jenny?

Willow glanced away from them a small frown on her face, but it wasn't from anger, it was for herself, it saddened her that she hadn't realized Buffy's feelings for Angelus before now. No wonder Buffy didn't like talking about Angelus, we all want her to kill him and she… well she felt affection for him that was for sure. Willow's frown deepened, but was it wise for Buffy to be with Angelus? He had hurt her many times in the past.

Angelus dropped his hands and the two girls rose and started to head away from the Grotto. "Anyway," Xander said breaking the tension he, Giles and Willow where feeling. "I think the boys are contained for the time being." They all looked at the minivan were the three Cro-Mag's were contained in the now locked car, as they jumped around in side it, making the van shake. "They'll figure out how to work the door locks when the effect has worn off. And then they'll just think they had too much beer. Which is surely close enough.

Willow looked away from the van her eyes settling on Xander. "Whose van is that?"

Xander shrugged. "Dunno. Wasn't locked."

Buffy walked towards the van, and hit the glass with a flat palm, getting Colm's attention, and he placed his hand against hers. Angelus growled low in his throat and steered Buffy away from the van, he looked behind him at the Colm who was looking after Buffy his eyes flashed amber at him and Colm let out a terrified roar and backed away from the window as he started jumping up and down in the van again screeching noses coming from him.

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**Two days later…**

Buffy sighed as she stood under the shower the hot water running over her. She was completely herself again now, and she'd come home to get away from the slight uncomfortableness that was between her and Willow and well Giles and Xander too, when they'd stopped by for a visit when Willow had called them and told them that she was herself once again. Buffy grabbed her soap and an exfoliating glove, she felt rather icky after her experience as a cavewoman. Of course that wasn't the reason why her friends were so uncomfortable no, it was because she'd had no reservations about telling them that Angelus was hers. She'd laid claim to the dark demon without hesitation. There'd been no guilt, no concern that he'd hurt her, because if he did she'd just punish him, it had been simple.

Buffy shook her head as she ran the glove over her body a soft sigh of pleasure escaping her despite her turbulent emotions the feel of the glove running over her body, helping to remove the grime and dead skin follicles that would have settled during her cavewoman stint. Buffy clinched her eyes shut, she couldn't find it in herself to be surprised that she had gone to Angelus during it, it was no shock after what had happened when she was mostly soulless thanks to her demon ex-roomie Kathy. But it did embarrass her, she'd only just finished telling him that she didn't love him, that she'd only said what she had because she'd thought that she or him was going to die, and then not two seconds later she'd turned around and chained him to his bed and well had her wicked way with him all the while claiming him and telling him of her hurt over his fucking Faith.

Buffy rubbed at her skin more viscously as she felt tears prick her eyes, as she remembered how tender and gentle Angelus had been with her when he had pulled her out of the burning building, the worried look that had passed through his brown eyes as the EMT checked her over. The way his hand had settled on her head gently as he told her that she wasn't allowed anymore beer. Buffy felt her lips curve up in a smile. She doubted that she'd be touching the stuff any time soon if ever again. Alcohol and Buffy seemed to be one of those unmixy things. Buffy dropped her hands away from her body as she once again stood more directly under the spray of the hot water allowing it to beat down on her, and wash away the vanilla scented soap.

Her mind drifted back to the afternoon she had confronted Angelus about Parker's disappearance. His words ringing around in her brain, she doubted that she could ever forget them. He'd killed men and boy's alike that he'd thought were competition for him. And it would continue until he was sure that he had no need to worry about competition. That there was no competition. Buffy shook her head as her heart clenched in fear, even as the hope that had risen inside her when Angelus had divulged that he knew that she loved him and that he wanted to lay claim to all of her, beat against the walls guarding her heart straining against them.

She could admit to herself that she couldn't quiet bring herself to feel overly upset over Parker's death the boy had been an annoyance, one that she had wanted to do without from the moment that Angelus had told her that he was a player, and then there was also the fact that the little bastard had tried to drug, which hadn't helped Parker's cause. Then her unexpected stint as a cavewoman had made everything seem alright. She'd actually felt save, loved and wanted whilst with Angelus in that state, and as he's watched from the bed she had drawn on his bedroom wall. She'd drawn a story, a badly drawn story to be sure, but a story all that same, and it had been the tale of Buffy, Parker and Angelus. And it had described how Angelus had protected his mate from the evil clutches of Parker and had punished the boy suitably for trying to damage the woman's honour.

Buffy shook her head as she felt her tears begin to fall down her cheeks. If only real life was still that simple. She'd been so happy there in Angelus' bedroom even when they had rested after the sex they had shared, her snuggled up against Angelus' side, her head resting on his chest, his arm wrapped about her protectively. The occasional kiss he had dropped on her head, and the way his hand had stroked gently over her skin, caressing her. She wanted that, she wanted that so much it hurt. But she couldn't trust him, it scared her the thought of putting herself in his clutches, and that's exactly what she would be doing if she were to go to him and open herself to him. It scared her so much that it made her heart clench and her body tremble.

But could she really keep things as they were, and know that innocent boys and men were going to die because Angelus believed that he had competition, which to her mind was a stupid notion. There was no one like Angel an Angelus, those two were the only men that would ever have a place in her heart romantically, and Angel… Angel was forever lost to her so really Angelus had nothing to worry about, not that he knew that… which was why the boys where dying… could she really have that on her conscious… when the solution though in ways terrifying was simple?

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy stood in the mansion. She was in the main room of the first floor, she hadn't moved beyond that, not being able to bring herself to search for Angelus farther than that, it was just easier to let him come to her. Buffy wrung her hands together nervously as she waited. She could feel sweat running down her body with her nerves. She really wanted this to be over and done with, but couldn't bring herself to go in search of Angelus, and so her mind ran over all the possible things she could say to him. Explanations, her decision… it ran together in a rambling monologue in her brain as she jumped from one thing to any other.

Buffy turned as she sensed Angelus walk into the room. "I didn't expect to see you dropping by for another visit."

Buffy attempted to shrug her shoulder nonchalantly. "Well uh, surprise." She muttered uncomfortably, as she tried to slow her heartbeat.

Angelus hearing the thundering rhythm looked at her with concern. "Are you alright?"

"F-fine." Buffy stuttered. Angelus raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing. Buffy sighed to herself and tried to force herself to relax. _'I can do this.'_ She thought and straightened her spine. "I-I've been thinking," Buffy managed to say.

"Oh." Angelus murmured stepping towards her.

"Yeah. I've been thinking th-that maybe… p-possibly… we could…"

"We could what, Buff?" Angelus asked, his face a careful mask of calm.

Buffy took a deep breath fortifying herself. _'Come on… it's not that hard to say!'_ "Be together." Buffy said, grateful that she'd finally gotten it out. Whilst fear struck at her heart, making it beat ten times faster than before as she waited for Angelus' response. Most of her expecting a mocking laugh and a hurtful cut down, and another hoped and expected on tender hooks that he'd smile and take her into his arms.

Angelus stood frozen for a moment, not sure he had heard correctly as the words spun round in his brain. He gave Buffy a sharp look as a logical thought struck him. "You're not saying this to be a martyr are you Buff?" Buffy looked up at him with surprised eyes not having expected that response from him. Angelus shook his head slightly. "I don't want you to be with me because you want to protect those I see as competition."

Buffy shuffled her feet uncomfortably. "I can't say that, that's not it." Buffy began and Angelus turned to walk away, so Buffy hurried on, her heart clenching in pain. "But that's only part of it! I don't want others to die, because of me, that's part of it, I won't deny that. But I'm mostly here right now, because it hurts so much to be without you." Angelus paused his head turning slightly towards her and Buffy took a shaky breath as she forced herself to continue, her heart and mind warring with her as experience had taught her to keep her emotions secret from Angelus, where as her heart wanted to plunge in head first and not look back. "I love you, and every day without you is a constant agony. I don't… I don't want to live with that agony anymore." Buffy said quietly, as she scrubbed at her eyes and cheeks to wipe away the tears that had begun to fall.

Angelus turned back around to face and all it took was one look at her face to see that she was telling the truth, and in a few steps he had closed the distance between them and closed his arms around her. He could feel her small body trembling against him, and he could scent her fear, that bordered rather close to terror. He winced at that and held her tighter, being careful not to hurt her. Buffy rested her head against his chest her tears soaking the silk shirt he was wearing that day. She fisted her hands in it. "You can crush me right now, Angelus." Buffy said as she trembled and she buried her face in his shirt breathing in his scent. "Please don't." She begged not caring if she sounded pathetic, as he body continued to tremble in fear. She couldn't say that she had opened her heart to him completely, but the walls that guarded her heart that had been trembling for so long now, where knocked to smithereens, leaving her more open and vulnerable to any emotional attack he choose to deliver… if he chose to deliver.

Angelus stroked her trembling back with soft hands doing his best to give comfort, he knew that he still had a long way to go, before she could trust him enough to let him all the way in, but this was a start. Buffy was giving him a chance, she was allowing him in, and sure the catalyst may have been that she didn't want more to die, because of her, but the other things she'd said, they had been true too. Angelus smiled and dropped a kiss down on the top of her head. "Never again, Buffy." He murmured soothingly.

Buffy looked up at him, and he moved a hand to wipe at her eyes, and Buffy leaned against his hand. "If you do decide to…" Buffy closed her eyes tightly. "I don't think… I won't come out the same person if you decide to hurt me… like you were…"

Angelus pressed a lone finger to her lips silencing her. He understood, there was only so much a person could take, everyone even Buffy had limits, but he wasn't concerned he knew what kind of hurt she was talking about, and he was one hundred percent certain that she'd never feel that again. "You'll never feel that again, Buff. I promise."

Buffy nodded slowly, and pressed her face against his chest again, breathing him in. Despite the fear and uncertainty of what was going to happen, and if Angelus really did care for her as his recent actions seemed to indicate or if she had been right all along and it was all some elaborate plot to crush her, there was one thing she was certain of. It felt good to call this man… vampire her own again.

**A/N:** Ok well there at long last is Chapter 5. Once again I'm sorry that it took this long. Anyway let me know what you think of this chapter. I'm just totally glad that Angelus and Buffy are finally getting somewhere. :p


	6. Chapter 6 wild at heart

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of the characters mentioned in the cannon.

**A/N:** At long last here is chapter 6! I'm so sorry for the dreadfully long wait for this chapter, but musie went on a little holiday, but now she's back. I'm not certain about the frequency of updates for this story however as musie in maybe a couple or so chapters time has planned a complete change of plot from that of the original season 4 of Buffy and we both want it to be perfect for you, the readers. But they will come I promise and hopefully the more original chapters will be to your liking. :D

Anyway enough of me, I'm sure your all wanting to get on with the chapter.

**CHAPTER 6**

**Wild At Heart**

Buffy strolled through the campus, the night clear allowing the stars to shine through, winking down at her and the rest of the still busy campus. The other students were too busy to look up at the stars though as they either hurried towards the library for a quite place to study or to their dorm for bed or a text book they'd forgotten. Buffy looked away from the sky and looked around the campus, she was supposed to be patrolling, but she couldn't seem to get her mind to focus properly. She'd been having trouble with that since she'd told Angelus she wanted to be with, essentially poured her broken bleeding heart out to him and had found herself wrapped in his arms shivering with terror. She was still terrified in all honesty she kept expecting to turn around and find Angelus telling her that it was all a joke and that her love was nothing more than an amusement.

At the same time though a part of her didn't expect it, not anymore. He'd been so gentle with her when she'd been reduced to the mindset of a cavewoman. Cared for her had even let her draw on his wall with sticks of charcoal. Had held her against him after they'd made love, his fingers gently stroking over her sweaty skin making her feel loved. Buffy sighed those things helped to reassure her, but she still felt terrified that she was going to feel that all consuming despairing hurt again. That he'd make her feel it whilst laughing at her misery. She really didn't believe she'd survive it again. Buffy gave herself a mental shake she hated that being together with Angelus was making her feel just as insecure and terrified than what she'd been when she wasn't with him. All the evidence from since just after she'd saved his life pointed to him actually caring for her, but trust and love that had been stomped on as severely as hers had been made it hard to just feel happy about it.

And she was happy about being able to say that Angelus was her man… well demon, but it was overshadowed by her terror a terror that had her on more than one occasion trembling when she saw him, something that she knew Angelus had to have noticed, but to her relief he never commented on it. Not that she'd seen him all that often after she'd told him she wanted to be with him. She'd been to uncertain to seek him out, it was a completely new playing field they were on, and Angelus seemed to understand in some way because he hadn't sought her out like he normally did. He was giving her a little space and in a way she was grateful, but in another she wished that he wasn't, because it was helping to fuel the fires of her terror that it was all an elaborate plot that he had played to a T. Buffy took a deep breath to steady herself and let his words come to the forefront of her brain.

"_I want to own everything there is of you Buffy. Your heart, your soul, your body, I want to own every glorious inch of you. And let you own me back." _

"_You'll never feel that again, Buff. I promise." _

Buffy smiled slightly one thing Angelus had never done was break a promise, so in a way that promise to never hurt her like that again was more comforting than his admission of wanting to own and letting her own him back. Which coming from Angelus she knew wasn't a little thing. He hated being owned, he hated being under someone else's thumb, but then that wasn't the kind of 'own' he'd been talking about. Buffy felt a heated shiver run down her spine and she looked up at the stars again. They really were beautiful tonight, it had been an awfully long time since the stars had looked this brilliantly beautiful to her. Buffy felt a tingle on the edge of her senses and she jerked her eyes away from the sky her eyes searching it wasn't the tingle she felt when Angelus was nearby which meant it was a vampire that was here to prey on the students… not that Angelus wouldn't prey on the students on campus… Buffy pushed the thought from her mind as she focused her attention on finding and luring the vampire away from the crowd.

Continuing forward Buffy subtly scanned the darkness looking for the vampire in amongst the humans. It didn't take long for her to spot him standing in amongst a couple of thick bushes doing his best to cling to the darkness and remain unnoticed by the UC Sunnydale students that were making their way through the night as he searched for the passing crowds for the person that aroused his bloodlust. Buffy glanced around her dubiously there was no way that she could take him out here and now not with all these people milling about. Someone was bound to notice. And seeing how most people had either moved away or chosen to forget the events of graduation last year that would be a bad thing… plus Giles would have a fit and a half if someone else happened to find out her secret. Buffy turned her eyes back to the vampire that was lying in wait ready to pounce on an unsuspecting victim. And she was about to become the victim.

*****B/Aus**B/Aus*****

Angelus entered the college campus. He knew that it hadn't been that long since he'd seen Buffy, his mate, but it felt like it had been years instead of just days. He'd been giving her time after her confession, after she'd trembled like a leaf in his arms expecting a blow that wasn't going to come. He'd wanted to give her a little space from everything. He'd been pushing her hard up until that point. Placing her in his presence every chance he got determined to smash down the walls she'd erected around her heart and in the end he'd hadn't had to knock them down she'd warily let them down. He was far from stupid so he knew that the battle was far from won. A tender and gentle hand was needed with her now so that he could gain her trust and get her to entrust him with her entire heart.

He wasn't sure how long that was going to take, but it didn't bother him, not anymore. He had a foot in the door and once the foot was in the rest would soon follow. He knew his Buffy, she wanted love and affection something he could easily give to her. Had been giving to her from the moment he'd realized his terrible mistake and just how much damage he'd done to his strong willed little mate. A mistake that had cost him a lot in the way of her trust, but soon, soon he'd have all of her and she'd give herself over to him willingly.

*****B/Aus**B/Aus*****

Buffy ran her heart beating a fast rhythm in her chest she fled past her fellow students none of them noticing her. The people of Sunnydale were good at not noticing things, each and every last one of them in some way aware that to notice things like a person running terrified from something was usually someone who was being chased by an unspeakable nasty and to notice was to die, and so they didn't notice and they were happy not to notice and then when the report of the dead person was reported in the news the next day they were suitably horrified at such a savage and cruel act. Buffy didn't mind though, it was a good thing for her, if people really started paying attention to the things that went on in Sunnydale her secret wouldn't be all that secret for all that long.

Buffy didn't have to look behind her to know that the vampire was chasing after her, excited by the fast beat of her heart and the thrill that came with chasing down ones prey. But she did so anyway casting what looked like a terrified look over her shoulder as she ran her hair whipping around her and she spotted the vampire chasing after her. She heard his hungry growl as it carried to her. Buffy continued running steering the vampire away from the more travelled section of the campus. She noticed the crowd thinning, before there was no one else in sight apart from her and the vampire that was chasing her. Glancing around her just to make sure Buffy skidded to a stop in a secluded area and turned around to face her pursuer, and pulled out her stake not even a little a winded from the fast paced run.

"Thanks for the re-locate. I perform better without an audience." She quipped smartly, before lunging forward with a punch, but the vampire blocked her blow and moved to attack himself. Buffy blocks the blow and followed through with a volley of punches that he managed to block, before she managed to kick him upside the head. "You were thinking what, a little helpless co-ed before bed?" Buffy moved towards him and blocked his attacks with her own, before kicking him over a garbage bin knocking it over. "You know very well: you eat this late," The vampire growled as he stood back up and moved to attack her. "You're gonna get," Buffy continued calmly as she thrust her stake forward impaling it in his chest right through the heart with his own momentum. "Heartburn." Buffy finished her pun and pulled her stake out of the surprised vampire's chest. The vampire clutched at the wound in his chest as if willing it to not be there. "Get it?" The vampire looked up at her. "Heartburn?" The vampire gave her an uncomprehending look filled with hatred before he turned into a pile of dust that was quickly blown away.

Buffy looked at the scattering dust in disappointment. "That's it?" She asked the pile of dust. "That's all I get? One lame-ass vamp with no appreciation for my painstakingly thought out puns? Are the forces of darkness even trying anymore?" Buffy looked up at the sky. "You could make a little effort you know… give me something to work with, here."

"You should be careful. The last thing we want around here is another giant snake." Angelus said from behind her.

Buffy turned around slowly a small nervous smile on her lips as she caught sight of him. "Well, I didn't mean it in an apocalyptic kind of way. I just wish that the average vamp would take more appreciation. I mean, I spend a lot of time thinking up those original one-liners. It'd be nice if I got more than Slayer, or die, or bitch. I've lost count of how many times I've heard those three… and I'm babbling." Buffy said nervously, and looked away from the tall handsome vampire that was looking at her with kind warm eyes. She busies herself with putting her stake back in its hiding spot, whilst she silently cursed herself for the tremble she could make out in her hands as she waited for what he was going to say.

"The average vamp doesn't have all that much brain power. It's normally the stupid ones that get turned. So you really shouldn't be too hard on them."

Buffy turned her gaze back to him, her hazel eyes revealing her nervousness. "Well, it wouldn't kill the forces of darkness to think up some new lines, there in serious need of a revamp."

"Maybe you could write a letter of complaint." Angelus suggested teasingly moving towards her, his sharp eyes easily detecting the slight tremor in her hands, before she clasped them together to hide it. "How have you been?" He asked.

Buffy shrugged attempting to be nonchalant even as a thrill of happiness shot through her at his asking about her. "Angelus it's only been a couple of days. I've been mostly trying to catch up with the schoolwork I missed out on during my whole cave-girl stint." She said with a small flush. Angelus smiled and reached out taking a strand of her hair between his fingers feeling the smooth, soft, silky strands between his fingers, before he tucked it behind her ear.

*****B/Aus**B/Aus*****

From some distance away on top of a high ledge that looked over a rather large part of the college campus Spike watched the two interact a mocking curl to his lips as he watched Angelus move closer to the petite blond Slayer. "Oh Slayer, after how I've treaded you, can you ever forgive me?" Spike said in a lower voice that was meant to mock Angelus.

"Oh Angelus you big forehead gem stealing poof, of course I forgive you. How could I not?" Spike pitched his voice higher to mock Buffy as he continued to watch them interact. The soft tenderness of the scene bellow him twisting his gut sickeningly. Spike's eyes hardened. "That was my gem, that resting on your finger you poof. Trust the bloody Slayer to give it to you! I did all the bloody work all the digging and the research and who benefits? Not me! Oh of course you benefit from it all. Always gotta have what's mine!" Spike growled. "First Dru, now my gem ya bloody bastard! You-you and that bloody Slayer are going down, because the real big bad is back and this time it's per… GNYAARGGHHLL!" Spike growled in pain as electricity coursed through him from the stronger than average taser blow he'd just been hit with from behind.

Spike fell to the side, hitting the ground with a thud, before he rolled helplessly onto his back his body parallelized. Spike looked around as he heard heavy footsteps approaching his for the moment defenceless body. He made helpless pained whining noises as men dressed in military garb closed in around him their weapons pointed at him threateningly just in case the one blow wasn't enough to keep him down. Spike made a deeper sound that was his effort at a growl when he felt hands rough hands grab him. Hands that began to drag him unceremoniously away from his prey.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"So, you patrolling?" Angelus asked as he reluctantly dropped his hand, his gaze sweeping up over a hill some distance away having thought that he heard a familiar pained yell. But not seeing anything he turned his gaze back to Buffy.

"Just finishing up actually." Buffy replied.

Angelus raised a brow. "Kinda early to be calling it a night isn't it?"

Buffy shrugged a little sheepishly. "Well, things have been quite the last couple of days, and Willow, Oz, Xander and I are hitting the Bronze for a little fun."

"Ah." Angelus murmured as they began slowly walking back the way Buffy had run.

Buffy chewed her bottom lip a little nervously as she walked beside him. She hated feeling shy and nervous around him. She wasn't a shy and nervous person! But the slight tremble in her hands and the uncomfortable weakness in her knees was more than a big enough give away to just how nervous she was. "You can uh, you can come, if-if you want." Buffy offered casting a somewhat hopeful glance in his direction.

Angelus smirked wryly. "I don't think my presence would be all that appreciated." He murmured. He wanted to spend time with Buffy, but hanging out with her friends wasn't his idea of fun, well it could be, but it wasn't the kind of fun that would keep him in Buffy's good books.

"I'd appreciate it." Buffy said softly, her eyes on the ground she was walking over. Her heart beating uncomfortably in her chest. She really, really detested feeling this vulnerable it didn't sit well with any part of her. It didn't help that her heart was telling her that it was fine, that she had no reason to worry, that he really wasn't going to hurt her anymore, but actions spoke louder than a thousand words and experience was a hard thing to override.

Angelus couldn't help the smile that curved his lips at her nervously whispered words. "I'm not interested in making friends with your friends, Buff." He said not unkindly, but truthfully.

Buffy nodded, she'd always known that and her friends. Well they had no interest in being friends with him either. "I'm not asking you to." She replied with a little shrug.

Angelus curled his larger hand into her tiny one and gently pulled her to a stop. Instinctively Buffy turned so that she was facing him. "If I end up going to the Bronze tonight don't expect me to be all polite and civil, especially not to that brat Xander."

Buffy smiled an amused tilt to the curve of her lips. "I don't think I've ever seen you be polite to Xander, so that's not a surprise."

"Hey, I didn't kill him during our little truce did I. I call polite and civilized as far as Xander's concerned. He's lucky I didn't pull out his disrespectful little tongue." Angelus muttered darkly. The desire had been there, especially when he'd had Xander on the ground the broken umbrella tip to his neck.

Buffy didn't let his words alarm her, she'd always known that Xander and Angelus didn't get along, hell not even Xander and Angel had gotten along. They'd just hated each other on sight. Besides it wasn't as if Angelus had acted on any of those urges towards any of her friends. "Well, then I guess it's good that we added no maiming to the list of conditions to the truce."

"You have no idea how freeing it was to have those conditions shed after The Mayor exploded into a million tiny bits."

Buffy nodded. "Your right, I have no idea how ah, freeing that would have felt to a big bad demon such as yourself." She agreed trying to sound teasing and her usual self instead of the nervous wreck she was.

Angelus wasn't fooled though, her tone may have sounded more confident than before, but he could scent the nervousness coming from her, the fear of rejection and getting hurt by him. Angelus sighed mentally as he reached out a hand and brushed his fingers over her hairline his eyes landing on the small braid she'd weaved through the front of her hair, before joining it at the back in just a regular plait. Words would and could only take him so far. Humans who's sense of smell was so stunted that they couldn't pick up the chemical changes in a body that allowed them to scent exactly what it was the people around them were feeling, relied heavily on the actions of others, and his actions had told her he wasn't to be trusted, and then he'd gone and changed on her confusing what she thought she knew him to be to her.

Angelus curved his and back down caressing her cheek and Buffy closed her eyes for a small moment, before looking back up at him, her hazel eyes were full of nervous, fearful hope pleading with him to not hurt her, to prove his previous actions of the past two years wrong. It was something on any other being he would have taken great delight in crushing, using it to break them, but not with her, never with her again. Buffy's eyes widened minutely when Angelus' began dipping down towards her, but she didn't move away. Her heart fluttered excitedly in her chest. She tilted her head up a little more to grant him easier access to her lips even as they trembled slightly as she waited for the intoxicating feel of his cool firm lips against her warm ones. Angelus curved the hand that had been resting on her cheek down and around her neck so that it cupped the back of her head, just before his confident seeking lips meet her slightly trembling ones.

It was only a soft press of lips at first, a somewhat innocent kiss compared to what she was used to from Angelus. It still had her closing her eyes in pleasure though. She felt Angelus draw back a small ways and opened her eyes, bitting her lower lip for a micro second as she stared up at him, before rising up on the balls of her feet as she closed the small distance between them, her lips meeting his. Her hands coming up to rest against his strong chest as the kiss grew more heated as they stood alone in one of the quieter parts of the campus. Buffy breathed in and out a little raggedly as she stood there with Angelus' arm wrapped around her waist helping to keep her balanced as they kissed, their lips moving over each other, learning the others familiar feel and taste again. Buffy pulled away after another moment, sliding down from the balls of her feet. His saliva covered her lips and hers covered his. Her lips tingled in a pleasant way, she ran her tongue lightly over her lips tasting him more fully as she rested in his arms, his other hand having moved from the back of her head to rest around her waist to.

Buffy stared at her hands that were resting against the silk of his shirt. Her hands felt so at home there, feeling the hard muscles of his chest, hard muscles that were covered by white unblemished smooth, silky skin. His arms around her also felt good, felt safe, just like the kiss they had just shared, it had given her the same kind of feeling that her cave-self had felt whilst in his arms, safe and loved, it made her heart warm in a nervous happiness, and she could almost see and feel a small part of her heart beginning to heal. Buffy closed her eyes tightly it was another thing to cause her a pang of fear, if her heart healed even a little, it would make it hurt more if Angelus crushed the delicately healing wounds with his fist. Angelus stared down at her as she looked at her hands like they were the most interesting things in the world. He hoped she'd felt what he'd tried to convey without words through his actions. It wasn't something he was used to acting on caring emotions, but Angel had shown him a little, but being shown and actually doing were two completely different things.

Finally Buffy looked up at him and she gave him a small smile her hazel eyes still nervous and hopeful, but he swore that they seemed a tiny bit more confident, but it could have been his imagination. "I have to go. I need to start getting ready. I want to wear something a little less patrol-y and more Bronze-y."

"I don't know, I kinda like the patrol-y look." Angelus murmured with a sexy half smile and a twinkle in his eyes.

Buffy flushed slightly in feminine pleasure. "Well, I meant I'd trade in the weapon concealing jacket for more of a cardigan type look." Buffy pulled slowly out of his arms her eyes fluttering as she fought not to close them as she felt his hands move from her lower back to around her sides, before they slid away from her body completely making her feel more than a little bereft. She turned to walk away, before turning back. "So, maybe I'll see you at the Bronze?"

Angelus inclined his head slightly. "Maybe." Buffy's lips curled up in a small irrepressible smile, before she turned and began walking away from him. She could feel his eyes on her though as she walked slowly not wanting to appear hurried or overly anxious to get back to her dorm room and change her jacket.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy sat with Willow, Oz and Xander at one of the tables at The Bronze. With Oz's help they had managed to get a table that gave them an unimpeded view of the stage where a live band was setting up. "It's more fun here this year, isn't it? The Bronze?" Willow asked as she caressed Oz's arm.

Buffy smiled and nodded. "'Cause of the gloating factor alone. We're all about college now. We've got heady discourse…" She agreed, she liked that things were once again back to normal between her and her friends, the awkwardness they had felt with each other after the unmasking of her cuddling feelings towards Angelus having faded since its discovery. Allowing them to move past it.

"Curfew free nights of mom and pop-less hootenanny…" Oz added giving Willow a smile, one which she returned.

"Co-ed dating prospects who find townies sexy and dangerous…" Xander pipped in. Catching the looks Willow and Buffy were directing at him Xander shrugged. "What? I can dream."

"Right," Buffy agreed. "So, if college is so great… what are we doing here and why is it more fun?" She asked glancing at all of her friends in turn, before glancing around the part of The Bronze she could see hopefully looking for any sign of Angelus, not seeing him she turned her gaze back to her friends.

"Because The Bronze is nice and familiar. It's like a big comfy blanky." Willow informed Buffy, who made an 'ah' face.

Oz looked at Willow with an almost expression of worry. "I was under the impression that I was your big comfy blanky."

Willow smiled and continued to caress her fingers up and down his arm. "You're my person blanky." She said, making it Oz's turn to make an 'Ah' face and smile at her. "This is my place blanky. With all the shock of the new it's nice to know that there's one spot we can come back to where things are predictable and…"

"Hello, all." Giles said interrupting Willow and drawing all their attention.

Buffy's expression turned serious and she began to rise from her seat. "Giles, trouble?" She asked whilst reaching for her bag.

"Oh no, don't get up Buffy. It's nothing like that." He assured her and Buffy relaxed slightly sinking back down in her seat her hand moving away from her bag. "I just thought I'd pop by…" Giles looked around the table. "Anybody for a latte? O-on me?" He asked uncomfortably as he felt the weight of their stares. He put down his mug on the spot between Willow and Xander he was standing in and moved over to the table behind them to nab the unused chair residing there.

"So much for your predictable blanky theory, Will." Buffy took the chance to murmur before Giles came back with his chair. Willow gave Buffy a slightly shocked shrug.

Giles sat down and shifted his chair in closer to the table his eyes going from them to the stage were the band was getting closer to being ready to perform. "Splendid. It's been ages since I've been to a gig."

Buffy, Willow, Oz and Xander share a look before turning their gazes back to Giles. It's a look that Giles catches and easily interprets. "Don't look that way. I'm down with the new music. A-and I have the record albums to prove it."

Buffy looked at Giles bemused. "But it's your cutting 8-tracks that keep you ahead of the scene." She quipped.

Oz looked around at his friend his expression seriously earnest. "Don't scoff gang. I've seen Giles' collection. He was an animal in his day."

"I guess." Buffy easily agreed, easily remembering the wildness that was Giles in his youth. "If the stones can keep on rolling, why can't Giles?"

"Exactly." Willow agreed with a nod, and turned her attention to Giles. "I think it's brave that you're here."

"Well, thank you, all." Giles grumbled feeling a bit peeved. "You've made me feel right at home."

"Isn't home that empty place you're trying to escape?" Xander asked a little teasingly.

Giles was saved from voicing his reply as the lights went up on the stage catching the entire tables attention. They watch as Veruca takes the stage as the driving, sexual beat of the music thrums through the air of The Bronze. Willow shifted in her seat her glance no longer calm and casual the happy cuddliness she was radiating before turning into worried concern as she glanced from Veruca to Oz. Buffy turned her gaze away from the stage to look over at Willow and Oz keenly aware of the red heads worry over Veruca's seeming hold over the monosyllabic werewolf. "Oh. Yea… Veruca's playing tonight." Willow said trying to sound casual in her attempt to distract Oz's attention from the stage, whilst she gently squeezed his arm affectionately.

Oz pulled his gaze away from the stage with a bit of effort. "Yeah. Every Wednesday. I told you." He replied flashing her a quick smile, before his gaze went back to Veruca and stayed there.

Buffy's smile disappeared as she took in the intensity of Oz's gaze. Willow gave Buffy a hopeless look, before her eyes went anxiously back to Oz willing him to turn his attention back to the table. "So, Oz." Buffy said over the loud music. "What about you guys? When's Dingoes playing here again?" She asked her hazel eyes fixed on Oz determinedly.

Distracted Oz managed to pull his gaze away from Veruca. "What? Oh… we're up next Friday." He explained, before his eyes drifted back to the stage and Veruca, that silent intensity once again in his gaze.

Willow trade another anxious look with Buffy, before her gaze went back to Oz. "They're good, aren't they?" Willow asked hopefully.

Oz pulled his gaze away from the stage guiltily. His eyes landing on Willow as he shook his head minutely. "Nothing special." He shrugged, before his gaze turned back to the stage.

"Yeah." Buffy said giving Willow an encouraging smile. "She's quell' Fiona. Colour me bored."

"Really?" Giles asked his gaze directed at the stage, not having picked up the undertones that were going on in the conversation. "I think she's rather remarkable. Such presence for someone her age." Buffy glared disbelievingly at Giles who along with Xander were completely entranced by the music thrumming through The Bronze. She quickly turned her gaze back to Willow who gave her a sad look as Oz continued to stare helplessly at Veruca as she continued to sing on stage. Willow gave herself a small shake and attempted a smile and hugged Oz's arm as she focused her attention on the music doing her best not to notice that Veruca seemed to be singing the sexual driven lyrics directly at her boyfriend.

Buffy glanced away from Willow to look from Oz to Veruca. It was weird she'd never seen Oz like this before. He'd only ever been interested in Willow as far as she'd known him. She turned her gaze to the stage and gave Veruca a once over. Inwardly she shrugged she didn't see anything in the girl on stage that was an overly great cause for concern. There may be lust between the two, but Oz loved Willow and he wasn't a dumb man, he wasn't the type to give into lust-y animal instincts. This would all be over in a week at the most and Veruca would hardly even be worth a casual glance from Oz. Buffy felt eyes on her and a familiar tingle run down her spine. Turning her attention away from the table her Slayer enhanced eyes easily pierced the darkness and almost immediately landed on Angelus as he stood over at the bar. He gave her a small smile, before the bar tender caught his attention by placing his drink by his elbow. From this distance she couldn't tell if it was whiskey or scotch… she wasn't much of a spirits drinker… or an alcohol anything drinker at the moment with her previous experiences with the stuff.

Buffy sat where she was torn between wanting to go to Angelus seeing as he'd turned up like she'd asked, and sitting at the table giving moral support to Willow who'd decided to put on a brave face. She frowned and sat up straighter in her chair lifting herself off it a little to see better over the heads over other people blocking her view to the bar when a pretty woman closer to the age Angelus was when he'd been turned. Buffy narrowed her eyes as the woman with long red curly hair stood next to him at the bar and they seemed to lapse into an easy conversation. She felt jealousy curl in her gut twisting her insides into knots of jealous anger. She knew that she should feel more worried about the woman's safety then about the fact that she was pretty and was older and probably more sophisticated then she was.

Willow noticing Buffy's change in mood turned to look in the direction that so held her friends attention. It took her a moment longer to see in the darkness of The Bronze, but after a moment her eyes spotted Angelus talking to the pretty red head at the bar and she understood completely, having been feeling the same emotion towards Oz's seeming interest in Veruca. The song Shy was playing finished and the boys broke into applause. Willow caught Buffy's gaze and gave her a small nod and encouraging smile. "Are you sure, 'cause I can stay… right here." Buffy murmured her eyes helplessly drifting towards Angelus and the red head. Her anxious nervousness having now joined the jealous anger that was curling her insides into knots.

"I'm sure." Willow said determinedly, she may not like that Buffy liked Angelus, and she may want her best girl friend to stay and offer support, but she couldn't not let Buffy go and find out exactly what Angelus was doing with the red head over at the bar… plus she was pretty sure Buffy going over would save the girls life.

"Thanks." Buffy said gratefully, before she stood and grabbed her bag and began walking steadily towards Angelus and the woman.

Xander who'd noticed the movement at the table dragged his attention away from the very charismatic Veruca. "Hey, where's the Buff going?" He asked.

Willow shrugged. "She's going to go stake her territory… pun intended." She added after a small beat.

"Oh." Xander grumbled his brown eyes darkening with an anger born of an old jealousy and keen dislike of the demon his eyes settled on the bar. "It's Sociopath-boy. Gee now the nights really complete." Xander made a disgusted face. "What does she even see in him?"

Willow shrugged self consciously highly aware that her feelings despite her desire to be supportive of her blond friend ran along some of the same lines. "Well, Angelus does have the whole bad boy thing going for him. A-and he does look good in leather… not that I'm interested or anything." She hurried to assure Oz who'd turned his head to look at her when those words left her mouth.

Oz's gaze went over to Angelus, before searching out Buffy in the crowd. He'd had a feeling for a long time now that those two felt deeper things for each other than either had been willing to admit at the time. He smiled softly and turned his attention back to the table. "I'm happy for them." He mono-toned, drawing their gazes. "And Buffy may just be a good influence on Angelus."

Willow nodded encouragingly, and gave an attempt at a smile. "Exactly, Buffy does have a way of doing that for people. Bringing goodness out in people." Willow squeezed Oz's arm with her hand, she was so grateful for Oz. She didn't know what she'd do without him. He always managed to make her see a good side in something, when she hadn't been able to before.

"Or he'll corrupt her over to the dark side of the force and the whole world will go to hell." Xander grumbled.

Giles looked down at his hands. His fingers still ached when it rained heavily, bringing the cold with it. He wanted Buffy to be happy he did! But Angelus had caused so much pain not just to him, but to everyone he'd ever come across in his life. Buffy deserved to be happy, but Angelus didn't. He deserved to be locked in the hell dimension he had somehow managed to escape! Giles sighed, he couldn't say that he'd ever like Angelus, even remotely not even for Buffy's sake, but she did deserve to be happy and if anything had come out of her cavewoman state late last week it was that it had made it abundantly clear to all of them that Buffy did indeed care for Angelus and that Angelus as much as the idea sickened and repulsed him cared for Buffy. But it was a fact that was very, very… almost impossibly hard to swallow, but for Buffy… the girl he'd come to love as a daughter… he was willing to some extent to try… but Angelus would have hell to pay if he ever hurt her… even in the tiniest way!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"Hey, you made it." Buffy said as she made it to the bar, her eyes going from Angelus to the red head he was talking to.

"Did you really think that I wouldn't?" Angelus asked turning his attention from the red head to his girl a knowing glint in his eyes and in the curl to his smile.

"You could have come over you know. My friends don't bite." Buffy murmured, her gaze flicking over to the red head who was looking at her in surprise.

"No, but one look at Xander was enough to make me want to snap his scrawny little neck. So I figured I was safer over here." He said teasingly, as Buffy slid up on to a bar stool so that she didn't feel so short compared to the pretty red head.

Buffy turned her attention from Angelus and gave the woman a smile that felt fake and forced and was probably more a bearing of teeth. "And you are?"

The woman looked from the small college girl to Angelus and back again her eyebrows raised in surprise at his taste in women. "I'm just going." She said decisively deciding that she didn't want to bother with a man that seemed to like taking up with a girl that young.

Angelus chuckled and raised his glass to his lips and swallowed the last bit of his whiskey. "Now did you have to go chasing off my meal. She was making it all so easy."

"Oh please, you like a challenge. Besides who said I was going to let a defenceless woman get lead to her death right under my nose?"

Angelus motioned to the bar tender, before turning his gaze back to Buffy. "Is that really the reason why you came over? To save Ms. Nameless?"

Buffy flushed slightly. "I might have had a more… less noble motive, but the outcome was the same." She said a little defensively.

"That's true. Little Ms. Redhead has gone back to her friends with a full 10 pints." Angelus murmured.

"And with her life, which is a major bonus… and I'd hardly call that red head little she was practically as tall as you!" Buffy exclaimed.

Before Angelus could reply the bar tender was standing in front of them on the other side of the bar. "What can I get you?" He asked Angelus.

"Another of these." Angelus said indicating the glass, before turning his gaze to Buffy. "And you?"

"A cinnamon Chai Latte, please."

"Coming up." The bar tender promised as he put back the whiskey bottle he'd used to refill Angelus' glass.

"Funny, I swore you'd go for the mocha." Angelus murmured as he picked up his whiskey.

Buffy shrugged. "I didn't feel like anything chocolaty."

"Ah." Angelus murmured, just as Buffy's cinnamon Chai Latte was set in front of her.

Buffy picked up the large mug and took a careful sip of the hot liquid and let out a satisfied breath, before turning in her seat so that she could look out over The Bronze. Her eyes immediately went to the stage and Veruca who was still very much singing directly to Oz. Her eyes drifted to Oz and they narrowed in concern to see that Oz was still pretty much enthralled by Veruca.

Angelus turned with her and followed her gaze. His eyes landed on the lead singer on stage. Her tight revealing clothes lending something more to the sexual undertones of the music. It wasn't lost on him however how she seemed to be singing directly to Oz, and that Oz was seemingly entranced by it, which wasn't going unnoticed by Willow who was looking from her boyfriend to the lead singer and back again. "Trouble in wolf-y paradise?" He asked

"Huh?" Buffy asked.

"Red and her wolf." Angelus said with a small nodding gesture of his head.

"No, at least I don't think so." Buffy said with a frown. "He may be feeling some lusty wrong feelings, but Oz isn't the type to stray."

Angelus shrugged. "Wolves mate for life." Angelus murmured simply. _'With other wolves.'_ He thought.

Buffy smiled at him relief flooding over her features. "Right. So they'll be fine. This whole Veruca thing will pass in no time."

Angelus turned his gaze back to Veruca a frown on his face, he was too far away to sense anything about her especially in the crowded club, but there was something in the way she moved a predatory grace to the swish of her hips and the deliberate movements of her body as she swayed to the music. Angelus turned his gaze away it wasn't impossible for a human to have predatory grace, but if they did it normally meant they were dangerous at least to other humans. His eyes settled on Buffy who despite her confident words had that concerned frown on her face as she watched Oz and Willow.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy lay in her bed in the dorm. She was there alone Willow having decided to spend the night with Oz in his dorm room. Oz having returned to his normal attentive self after Veruca's set had finished. Buffy sighed and rolled over on her bed so that she was laying on her side facing away from Willow's empty bed. Despite only having seen Angelus a couple of hours ago she missed him. It seemed as if now that she was accepting Angelus' affection as actual affection she couldn't get enough of it. She supposed that shouldn't be a surprise she'd been stuck with nothing, but pain and heartache for the past two years when it came to the man/vampire she loved and now… now she could call herself his girlfriend again.

His recent acts of kindness didn't stop her from fearing that she was going to wake up one day and find out that he'd tricked her into a sense of security, but it helped sooth it if only a little and after tonight when she'd spent a few hours with him in The Bronze keeping a watchful eye on Willow searching for any sign that she was needed by her best friend as they talked and not once after the jealousy thing has she felt anything, but hope and happiness whilst sitting on the bar stool whilst Angelus remained contented to stand and talk to her. Buffy sighed and stroked the sheet covered mattress pretending it was Angelus. She really, really wanted to feel his arms around her again. She wanted to feel his arms around her as she drifted off to sleep with his spicy scent in her nose.

It had been so long since she'd felt save enough to actually fall asleep in his arms or just lay in them when she was completely one hundred percent herself. It was almost a burning need inside her to feel him holding her protecting her from everything that had happened in the past between them, to make it feel like it was nothing more than a bad memory, but it wasn't just a bad memory not yet anyway. It was all very real to her still. She still remembered the nightmares she'd had of Angelus and Angel from the time she'd set Angelus loose to now. Most of the horrible things he'd said to her would surface to the forefront of her mind at some odd point in time and make her shiver in dread and pain. Buffy sighed and rolled back over onto her back, but that was supposed to be all behind them now, it wasn't supposed to happen again and he hadn't done anything or said anything to truly hurt her since she'd risked her life for his.

She wanted more than anything else for the terror she felt at having let Angelus in to disappear. If there was a quick fix solution she'd take it, gladly. But there was no quick fix solution to the pain of the past. The only thing she could do was let time do its thing and let Angelus prove himself to her. Buffy frowned up at the ceiling and hugged her arms around herself tightly in hopes that it might ease the need she felt to feel Angelus' arms around her, but her arms were to small and too warm to allow her to fool herself into believing that they were Angelus'. "Bugger it!" Buffy grumbled under her breath, before throwing the covers off her and jumping out of her bed. She wasn't a coward! And she refused to allow herself to start acting like one just because she was terrified that her heart would be battered and smashed beyond all hope of repair by the demon she loved.

Buffy felt her body tremble as she moved towards her wardrobe. She grabbed the jacket she'd worn out on patrol and shrugged it on over her singlet pyjama top. Grabbing some socks she slipped them over her feet, before toeing on her runners. Grabbing a small bag Buffy shoved clothes for the next day in their so that she wouldn't have to walk back in her pyjamas. Buffy didn't dare look at her reflection. She knew she was about to exit the dorms in something she wouldn't normally allow herself to be seen out of her room dressed in, but she wasn't getting dressed only to have to change back into her pyjamas when she reached her destination. Buffy took a deep steadying breath trying to calm the trembling in her body. Letting it out slowly Buffy frowned when the trembling didn't stop. Taking a determined step forward Buffy moved towards her door opening it Buffy walked with a determined stride hoping that with the right pace her limbs would stop trembling.

Walking out into the night air Buffy stuck to the shadows so as to not be seen as she began the relatively short trip from the campus to Crawford St and the mansion that stood on top of the hill that Crawford St was looking down on street and that part of the town.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy walked up the steps of the mansion that led to the floor that housed Angelus' room. She could sense him in there. It surprised her a little though she hadn't thought Angelus would actually be in bed it was still dark after all and vampires were definitely a sleep during the day kind of creature, but she wasn't about to complain after all she'd wanted to be held by Angelus whilst she drifted to sleep. The trembling that she had managed to walk out of her limbs on the way over had come back the minute she'd entered the mansion, but it wasn't extreme so she was pretending to ignore it. Whilst it was actually annoying the hell out of her.

Reaching the door to Angelus' room she gently eased it open and stepped inside. Her eyes immediately landing on the large bed where Angelus was lying. She could see that his dark eyes were open and looking at her and she curved her lips up in a small self conscious smile. "Hey." She murmured nervously. "I didn't expect to find you in bed."

Angelus shrugged at her and sat up revealing more of his pale chest in the dark room, and Buffy was suddenly reminded of the fact that the last time she'd come across Angelus in his bed he'd been naked. "What's up?" He asked a serious tone to his voice.

"Nothing apocalyptic." Buffy assured him and Angelus gave her a confused look.

Buffy stood feeling awkward and nervous and she clasped her hands together as she felt them give a more obvious tremble. "I was wondering…" Buffy hesitated.

"Wondering what?" Angelus prompted patiently.

Buffy took a deep breath. "I was wondering if you'd mind if-if I joined you. No sex or anything, mind. I just… I wanted you to… hold me." Buffy said heat flushing her cheeks as the more she spoke the more she became aware of the weight of Angelus' stare.

Angelus smiled at her in the dark, rather thrilled at the fact that she'd sought him out, because she'd wanted to feel his arms around her. Angelus patted the mattress invitingly. "Just don't expect me to get dressed." He said softly.

Buffy smiled and toed off her runners whilst letting her bag fall to the ground before her hands unzipped her jacket and let it fall to the floor next to it when she shrugged it off her shoulders. "Don't expect me to strip naked." Buffy teased as she walked towards the other side of the large bed, before slipping under the covers and shifting over to where Angelus lay on the soft, but firm mattress.

"No, pity." Angelus murmured as Buffy's warm settled close to him on the bed not quite touching him, but close enough for him to wrap his arms around her if he chose to. Angelus closed the small fraction of a distance between them and wrapped his arms around her drawing her close against him. He felt her smile against his neck and her warm little hands rest themselves against his chest. He bit his lip against the feeling as he felt his cock twitch to life. _'Down boy, there's no point getting excited when there's not going to be any action.'_ He silently told it.

Buffy felt the movement of his member and bit her lower lip guiltily. "I'm sorry." She murmured apologetically. "I just want our first time when I'm completely myself to be," Buffy hesitated she wasn't sure how to say what she wanted to. She wanted to be more confident in herself and in him the next time they made love. She wanted it to mean more than sex to the both of them, but it was also more than that. The only word she could really think of was special.

"Special." Angelus murmured as if having read her thoughts.

"It sounds stupid, huh. I mean it's not like we haven't before. Cause we have… a few times." Angelus felt himself grimace, the way she said it let him know that she was thinking about the times before he'd realized who she was to him… the times she'd pleaded with him to stop and he hadn't. Forcing her to submit to his desires and the desires of her confused body, before he could say anything about it though, Buffy continued. "I just… I want it to feel right."

Angelus pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and held her a little tighter. "I understand, Buff." Angelus moved one of his hands from her back and crooked a finger under chin and gently tilted her head up so that he could look her in the eye. "I'm never," He stressed the word. "Going to make you do anything you don't want to do again. Do you understand?"

"Uh-huh." Buffy managed to get passed the large lump that had formed in her throat and she pressed herself against him, her face buried in his neck and her arm sliding around his side until her hand could rest against his bare back. Angelus let out a breath slowly. He could scent her nervousness, but her fear had faded, had faded the moment he'd agreed to hold her. And she understood that he meant to never force her into anything again, it was a step a small one, but it was a step, and soon she wouldn't just understand she'd believe him. Angelus closed his eyes with a small sigh. The huge gaping bleeding chasm between them was closing, but the past. The past still stood between them.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy smiled as she drifted slowly towards consciousness. She could feel the familiar weight of Angelus arm resting against her waist, and feel the strong familiar contours of his chest pressed against her back. She moaned lowly and stretched her stiff limbs out a little, before blinking open her eyes. She could feel Angelus face tucked against her neck and his soft cool breath against her skin. Buffy looked down at the hand that was resting on her waist, her eyes resting on the ring that adorned his finger. It was such a small thing to make one invincible. Buffy traced the gem with one of her fingers, brushing the soft skin of his finger occasionally. It seemed like ages ago that she'd come here and tried to seduce the ring from him. It of course hadn't worked, but she'd received the fucking of a lifetime.

She'd hardly been able to move when he'd finally allowed her to leave his bed and head back to her dorm. She hadn't liked the fact that he'd stolen the ring from her, but now… now she couldn't see him without it. It was like suddenly the ring had always been there, like it had always belonged to him. And without the small gem she'd have never seen Angelus standing in the sunlight. It was still an image that could take her breath away. It wasn't something that she had ever expected to see and was immensely glad that she had. Behind her she felt Angelus shift, and his hand moved closing his finger gently around the hand that was tracing the ring and brushing against his skin. "Morning." Buffy breathed.

Angelus groaned and cracked open his eyes. "Morning." He murmured in a husky sleep ridden voice. That made Buffy smile. Angelus stretched, before placing a kiss against Buffy's cheek. "Are you gonna tell me about the bad dream that had you tossing and turning half the night?" He murmured.

Buffy stiffened slightly. She'd forgotten about the dream that had plagued her for a good portion of the night never allowing her to escape from it clutches. Buffy shivered, before forcing herself to relax. "Not really… it was nothing."

Angelus propped himself up on his elbow and gave her a sceptical look. "Right, nothing had you tossing and turning, whimpering and crying like a wounded puppy." Angelus sighed and stroked his fingers over her hand. "You can tell me anything." He murmured softly. "I won't judge."

Buffy plucked at his fingers with the hand that he wasn't holding. "Tell me you're not going to hurt me?" Buffy pleaded.

Angelus felt a deadweight settle somewhere in his stomach as a thought struck him. He squeezed her hand softly. "I'm not going to hurt you, ever again."

Buffy closed her eyes as she let the words move around in her brain for a moment. "It was you." She murmured. "You had my heart in your hand and you crushed it with that laugh of yours… the cruel one." Buffy mumbled. "And I couldn't wake up, no matter how hard I tried I couldn't wake up."

"I know." Angelus murmured. "I tried to wake you myself quite a few times."

Buffy sighed. "It was just a dream. A-a manifestation of my fears… or at least that's what Professor Walsh my psychology teacher would say." She babbled a little self consciously, a part of her rebelling against admitting a fear to the power and on more than one occasion sadistic demon that was holding her so gently in the cocoon of his strong arms.

"Those fears will fade." Angelus promised resolutely, his arms tightening around her. He hadn't realized that she was still plagued with nightmares of him hurting her, crushing her.

"I know." Buffy said with more confidence than she felt. "I should probably get going."

Angelus made a protesting sound in the back of his throat and pressed her against him tighter, causing Buffy to squirm a little as she giggled a little as happiness weld inside her at the affectionate gesture. "Do you have to?" He moaned.

"Well, I have classes. All of which refuse to adhere to my time schedule so, yeah." Buffy said turning her head so that she could glance at him out of the corner of her eye.

Angelus shook his head in a gesture she found rather adorable as he nuzzled her neck. "Stay a little longer." He murmured against her skin.

Making Buffy shiver as a sudden heat swept through her. "I suppose I could stay a little longer." Buffy adhered. "But Walsh is a dragon when someone's late, and I rather her dragon-y-ness is directed at someone else that's in no way, remotely me." Buffy paused, before shifting around until she was facing Angelus. "Unless you have a shower somewhere in this large mansion of yours." Angelus quirked a brow, he was used to Buffy's sudden and sometimes strange tangents, but that one had seemingly come out of nowhere. Not that he minded the thought of her and a shower. "You know. If I can have a shower here, I can stay a little longer than the original little longer." Buffy explained catching the silent question in his quirked eyebrow.

"Yes. I have a shower… there's a couple scattered throughout this place." Angelus murmured.

"Good to know." Buffy said softly as she rested her head on Angelus' shoulder settling in for the promised longer; little longer.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow lay in Oz's room his arms wrapped around her. She whimpered in her sleep and shifted slightly a frown appearing on her previously calm face. "It's in the sandblaster!" Willow murmured urgently.

Oz came away at the sound of her voice, a smile curling up his lips, before he opened his eyes. "What's in the sandblaster, Will?" He asked softly.

Willow just whimpered again, and Oz pulled her closer to him. He gently nuzzled her ear, before murmuring. "It's a dream. Come back to me." He shifted his hands under the covers and slipped them under the big yellow t-shirt she wearing and gently stroked the soft skin of her abdomen.

Willow smiled and shifted a little. "Hmmmm…" She mumbled. "All Geminis to the raspberry heads!" She called out.

Oz smiled and looked down at her. "Now you're faking."

Willow couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "Am not." Slowly she turned so that she was facing him her eyes opening. "Just a little."

"Morning." Oz greeted.

"Morning." Willow replied with the same lazy smile curving up her lips.

"Bad dream?" Oz asked.

Willow grimaced a little. "I guess. But the waking up part makes up for it." She said with a smile. Her worries of last night seeming so far away that she could hardly remember why she'd had them in the first place.

Oz smiled back, before brushing some hair away from her forehead and tenderly tapping her temple with a couple of his fingers. "It's always so busy in there."

"Not always." Willow said with the beginnings of a suggestive smile. "A few things shut my brain up completely."

"Anything I can help you with?" Oz asked, already knowing where Willow was going and more than happy to oblige, especially after the way he'd been acting at The Bronze. He wasn't sure what it was, but something about Veruca seemed to call to him whenever she was around. It was like she filled a spot he hadn't realized was there until she'd shown up.

Willow leaned away as she turned her head to look over at the digital alarm clock and sighed in disappointment as she turned back to her boyfriend. "I have to get right now. But tonight, for sure."

"I don't know about tonight. Unless the extreme Jerry Garcia look turns you on." Willow gave him a puzzled look. "Night before the full moon." He explained, feeling slightly surprised that she'd forgotten.

"Oh!" Willow exclaimed shocked that she'd forgotten herself, but with all the worrying she'd been doing about Veruca it had temporarily slipped her mind. "That's right. And I have a thing… there's a Wicca group on campus I wanted to check out, they have orientation on the three nights you're wolf-y. It's probably silly, but,"

Oz cut her off. "Go. Show them how it's done." He said encouragingly.

Willow nibbled her bottom lip uncertainly. "Are you sure? You can lock yourself up? I mean, it's only this one month. After orientation they meet on different nights."

"Will, I'll be fine." Oz assured her.

"Ok… as long as you don't mind." Willow murmured.

"The only part I mind is being away from you for three nights." He told her earnestly, before leaning in towards her and kissing her with tender sweetness. Willow sighed against his lips and closed her eyes, not ready to start getting ready for her first class of the day just yet.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy stood slowly and gathered her things a little nervously. As she subtly eyed professor Walsh as she stood at the front of her desk graded papers in one of her arms as she used the other to hand them back to the students as they filed past her. Having gathered her stuff Buffy slowly made her way down the stairs of the lecture hall. Standing near the back of the diminishing class Buffy swallowed as Walsh turned her attention to her indicating that she was considered the next in the line and reluctantly she stepped towards her to collect her paper. Walsh pulled out Buffy's paper from the pile in her arms and handed it to her. Buffy went to make a move for the door, but Walsh's voice stopped her. "Ms. Summers." Buffy turned back to Walsh with a little trepidation. "I want you to prepare to lead a discussion group next class on the paper topic."

Buffy looked down at her paper in surprise the mark there making her eyes widen slightly in shock, not having expected to do so well, having had to rush it to get it in on time after her stint as cavewoman. "That was smart work." Walsh praised.

"It… I…" Buffy stuttered, before getting a hold of herself. "What do I have to do?"

"You have any questions, bring them up with one of the TA's." Walsh told her, before turning away from Buffy to hand out the rest of the papers to the last of the students who were waiting to receive theirs back.

"Ok." Buffy murmured softly as she turned and slowly made her way out of the classroom, her eyes fixed on her paper.

Willow who'd been waiting for her to come out joined up with her in the hall just outside the classroom. "Are you ok?" Willow asked seeing the stunned look on her face. "How'd you do?" She asked.

Buffy smiled and held up her paper to Willow so that she could see her score. Willow snatched the paper in excitement. "That's good… I mean that's excellent! You did better than me!" Willow's face fell. "This is so unfair." Willow's fallen face turned to one of excitement again and she turned to Buffy practically jumping. "You made me jealous of you academically! Buffy!" She squealed.

"I know, can you believe it?"

Willow pulled Buffy in an academically excited hug, before releasing her so that they could continue their way down the hall. "I guess Professor Walsh isn't so ogre-y after all." She said as she handed Buffy back her paper.

Buffy looked down at her paper. "Except now she wants me to lead a discussion group next class." Buffy frowned. "Which means more work, right? Shouldn't she have a better reward system? Like a cookie? Or maybe a little toy surprise, like at the dentist?" Buffy babbled.

"She wants you to lead a discussion group?" Willow asked awed. "Ok, jealous again. Jealous, jealous…" She touched Buffy's arm. "Ok I'm back."

"I'm meeting Oz at the café. You want to come? I'll get you that celebratory cookie." Willow offered enticingly.

"Great." Buffy agreed. "I'm TA bound right now, but I'll catch up with you guys." She promised. Willow nodded and moved on down the hall towards the outside café whilst Buffy moved back a couple of steps and down an adjoining hall to find one of the TA's. She couldn't help glancing down at the mark on her paper as she moved through the crowd. Despite her bad dream the night before. The day was shaping up to be a good one. She'd had a nice time with Angelus that morning as they just lay in bed together. She'd done her best not to let her thoughts drift to the fact that he had been naked, but it was hard to ignore seeing as his naked chest had done such a good job of reminding her each time she glanced at it… not to mention his not so little morning problem. It had been enough to make her consider just jumping him and forgetting about her wanting it to feel right between them, before she had sex with him again, but then she'd been reminded of the time and she'd quickly scurried out of the bed, much to Angelus disappointment.

Buffy smiled it had really been a perfect morning for her. If it wasn't for her nagging worries about Angelus motivations and her fears that he'd turn around one day and crush her like a bug, she could almost believe that her life was once again on the verge of being perfect. Something she hadn't felt since Angel had been taken from her.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Oz walked with a take away coffee in hand looking for a spare table to sit at whilst he waited for Willow to show. A tingle shot up his spine making him pause. Instinctually his head turned to the right in the direction he was sensing it was coming from and not to his surprise his eyes landed on Veruca. Her eyes met his for a moment, before he looked away, hoping to try and spy a free table, before inevitably his eyes swung back around to Veruca who glanced around as well. "What are you going to do? Sit on the ground?"

"My girlfriends coming." Oz stated trying to force himself to glance away in hopes that it would help him move away.

"There's room." Veruca said gesturing to the three other empty chairs around the big round table.

Unable to find the will to resist he walked over and took the seat closest to Veruca. His eyes moved to the large hamburger and fries she had for her lunch. "Big lunch." He observed.

Veruca shrugged. "I like to eat. I hate chick who are all. 'Does it have dressing on it?'" She mocked in a disgusted way.

"Agreed." Oz murmured as he sat leaning back against the back of his seat. His eyes straying to hers for a long moment, before he forced himself to snap out of it. "You guys were tight last night."

"I guess. the set's starting to come together, but the amps still sound dirty to me." Veruca said her gaze still fixed on Oz her lunch apparently forgotten.

Oz leaned forward in his seat relaxing at the easy comfortable topic of music. "What are you using? 50 or a 120?"

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

On another side of the café from on top of a small case of stairs that lead down into the wider outside area. Willow stood her eyes searching for Oz. Her heart frozen in her chest for a moment, before sinking as she spotted him sitting with Veruca a very casual and friendly air about the both of them as if they'd known each other for years. Willow pulled herself together and put on a cheerful air determined to do her best at seeming like her normal cheery self as she moved her way through the café and over to them. "Hey!" She greeted a little over enthusiastically. Oz turned his head to look up at her breaking off from his conversation feeling a stirring of guilt inside him, like he'd been caught doing something he should. Willow leaned down slightly and gave Oz a quick kiss, before sitting down in the seat across from Veruca that was also next to Oz feeling rather awkward and uncomfortable.

"Hey." Veruca greeted with a small nod that was casually friendly.

Oz shifted his gaze from Willow as he leaned back in his seat, his gaze returning to Veruca as he took up the conversation Willow had interrupted hoping to dispel the discomfort he was feeling. "You should be using the 50. And Blue Voodoo isn't your best bet if you don't gig the distort." He explained.

Willow swallowed as she looked from Oz to Veruca her uncomfortableness growing as she realized there was no way that she could really comfortably join in the conversation. "Music talk, huh? Cool. I love to listen to Oz talk about the biz." She said with an uncomfortable smile as she twisted her hands in her lap.

Veruca gave Willow a glance, before turning her attention back to Oz. "What do you like, again? I know you told me."

"There are a couple of good ones." Oz said vaguely. "The Johnson Mil…"

"My number 1 has to be Redbone." Veruca said.

Oz shook his head. "Number 1? I gotta go with the Hound Dog."

Willow thinking that she knew what they were talking about and feeling desperate to be a part of the conversation pipped in eagerly. "Me too! That was a great song. I mean, Elvis. What a guy."

Veruca looked over at Willow and smiled bemusedly. "You a big Elvis fan?"

"The biggest." Willow said promptly glad to be a part of the conversation at last. "Well," She turned her gaze to Oz. "After Dingoes, of course."

Oz leaned towards her in his chair. "We were actually talking amps." Oz said softly. Willow shifted in her seat embarrassed, something that wasn't lost on Oz. "But it's easy to get confused, with the names they give them."

"Oh." Willow mumbled still feeling rather embarrassed as another silence consumed them and she couldn't help, but notice that Veruca and Oz kept shooting looks at each other.

"I have to bail." Oz finally said feeling a need to get out of there. He focused his attention on Willow. "Call me later." He told her before kissing her on the top of her head and walking off, leaving his untouched coffee behind.

Willow looked after him for a moment, before turning her eyes back to Veruca. She offered her an awkward smile building up the nerve to speak, when Veruca beat her to it. "I should go too." She said as she stood collecting her mostly still uneaten lunch to eat it elsewhere. "Good shirt." She commented her tone making Willow feel even more uncomfortable as she glanced down at her pink and fuzzy multi coloured swirly top.

Buffy who'd been walking towards the table with a coffee and a foam plate of chips and tomato sauce glanced after Veruca. "Check the rapid exits. Was it me?" She asked as she continued on her way over to the table and took over Oz's recently vacated seat deftly moving his untouched coffee to the side to make sure she didn't get it confused with her own.

"Me." Willow muttered crestfallenly. "I don't speak muscianese." Willow looked down at her top again, before looking back up at Buffy who was taking to foam lid off her hot chips. "Why didn't you tell me I look like a crazy birthday cake in this shirt?"

Buffy paused and looked up caught a little off guard as she looked at Willow's shirt for a moment. "Oh. I thought that was the point."

"He thinks she's sexy." Willow murmured sadly. "He gets this blushy thing going on behind his ears. That's for me only."

"It doesn't mean anything, Will." Buffy said sympathetically. "So Oz checks out another girl. He loves you." Buffy said with a strong emphasis on the 'he loves you.'

Willow nodded hopelessly, wishing that she could believe that completely. "I know." Willow met Buffy's eyes. "I know. And I don't want to be the kind of girl who freaks every time her boyfriend notices someone else like a twenty dollar ho…"

"Please. Ten dollar ho. Fifteen at the max." Buffy said firmly.

Willow gave her a small smile for her efforts, before it disappeared again. "I mean, I have wrong feelings for other guys sometimes, but I flog and punish."

"I'm sure Oz is flogging and punishing himself," Buffy paused. "This is sounding so wrong before I even finish." She murmured making Willow smile again briefly. "The point is, you're both human, but I promise you, in a few days it'll be like. Veruca who?"

"You think?" Willow asked hopefully.

Buffy nodded. "Absolutely. Oz just isn't the type to stray."

Willow gave Buffy a wry smile. "Not tonight anyway. He'll be locked in a cage." Willow stilled just as Buffy felt the familiar tingle go up her spine and spread warmth through her, and she looked behind her, her eyes landing where Willow's where on the tall, dark, handsome vampire that was making his way towards them and earning a few too many appreciative feminine looks along the way. "Uh, I'm gonna go." She said a little uncomfortably.

Buffy turned her gaze away from Angelus. "Oh Wills, you don't have to." She urged.

Willow looked away from her uncomfortably for a moment, before turning her gaze back to Buffy. "No, I-I really should. I'm sure you two have a lot to uh, talk about." Willow said, before getting up and walking back the way she'd come, feeling very much like a coward, but she just didn't feel up to watching Buffy being snugly with Angelus when things were so off kilter between her and Oz. Besides the two probably wanted time alone together. And-and she really needed to go out… shopping for something a little sexier then the cute she normally went for.

Angelus' eyes turned from Willow's sad back, as his attention returned to Buffy as he took Veruca's old seat and shifted it a little closer. "More trouble in paradise?" He asked with a nod in the retreat red heads direction.

Buffy sighed and shook her head whilst she picked up one of her chips and dipped it in the tomato sauce. "Same problem different day." She said sadly, before tearing her gaze from Willow's retreating back to look at Angelus. "What are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see you or anything. Just surprised."

"What? You can't be the only one that does the missing, you know."

Buffy smiled brightly flashing her white teeth. "You missed me?" She asked brightly.

"You sound surprised." Angelus said nonchalantly as he reached out and snatched a chip off her plate, and brought it to his lips and quickly ate it.

Buffy shrugged and attempted to make her overly bright and happy smile fade. "You don't seem like the 'missing' type."

Angelus gave her a look. "I don't have a type." He murmured.

"Ah, so that's why I have so much trouble pegging you? You're non-type-able." Buffy said teasingly, as Angelus picked another chip up from her plate.

"You're trying to peg me?" Angelus asked after he'd swallowed down his second stolen chip.

Buffy shrugged again, this time a little uncomfortably. "Well, it'd be nice to know what you're thinking on occasion."

Angelus smirked his brown eyes flashing with lust as he looked her over from head to foot. "I'm thinking you look hot in cute red sundresses."

Buffy felt herself flush in feminine pleasure, and unconsciously she ran a hand down one side of her dress. "You like me in dresses?" She asked.

"What can I say? I'm a 17th century man at heart, lover." Angelus stole another chip from Buffy's plate. "I gotta say I prefer the length of women's dresses today, compared to back then."

Buffy picked up one of her chips and dipped it in the sauce and ate it, chewing slowly, before swallowing. Just as Angelus moved to pick up another chip from her plate, Buffy reached out and grabbed his wrist. "Hey. I didn't get any breakfast, you know. Beside I thought you were on a liquid diet."

Angelus furrowed his brow at her. "You didn't have any breakfast?" He asked a slightly accusing note to his voice.

"I didn't have time for any on account of spending too much time in bed this morning." Buffy said with raised eyebrows, before turning his arm so that his hand was more in his direction she bent slightly and ate most of the chip in his hand. Angelus chuckled and flipped the last bit of the chip that had been caught between his fingers up into the air and caught it in his mouth.

Angelus dusted the salt off his fingers and turned his eyes back to Buffy just in time see her throat working as she swallowed the chip she'd ate from his fingers. Angelus swallowed himself as his eyes drifted to the scar that wasn't hidden at all by the dress or by her blond hair that had been put up and held in place by a large hair clip. "So, how was your class?" Angelus asked, more to distract himself at that moment than anything else.

Buffy paused in her reaching for her cup. "It was class." She said with a shrug. "I got a better mark on my paper than I ever thought I would, and I was asked to lead a discussion group for my next psych class. I think I would have preferred a congratulatory cookie rather than the extra work load, but…"

"You're proud of your achievement." Angelus murmured knowingly.

Buffy shrugged a little self consciously. "Well, yeah. I've never really done all that well academia wise and it's nice to know I can do something else noteworthy than just knocking skulls together and shoving pointy pieces of wood through people." Buffy shook her head.

Angelus smiled at her. Buffy caught it and turned to face him. "What? Did I just sound like a whiner person? I did, didn't I?"

Angelus shook his head. "No, you sounded like a human being. Although I can understand why you could mistake the two. Humans are notoriously whiny." Angelus teased with a crooked smile.

"Don't you think you're opinion of them maybe just a little skewed, seeing as you spent most of your time offering them an ugly death?" Angelus didn't answer as he reached out and touched a couple of gentle fingers to her face, stroking them over one of her cheeks. Buffy found herself smiling and leaning into his touch within seconds. Angelus leaned towards her and pressed his lips to hers.

Buffy licked her lips when he pulled away a silly bubble of happiness building in her heart at the freely given public display of affection he'd given her. It wasn't something she'd ever really expected from Angelus. Maybe it was because he'd spent all his time mocking her and hurting her before. But now that it had happened it seemed obvious, Angelus wasn't shy, hell shy probably wasn't even a word in his genetic makeup! Buffy opened her eyes and smiled at him. "I have to get to my next class."

Angelus stood almost immediately and grabbed her bag from where it rested against her chair. "I'll walk you." He offered. Buffy beamed up at him, this day just seemed to keep on getting better and better, not something she'd ever thought in context with Angelus before. Buffy laced her arm through Angelus' proffered arm and began walking with him through the café, silently leading him towards the lecture hall her next class was held in.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus left the college campus after having walked Buffy to her next class, where she'd graced him with yet another full beaming smile that held no hint of the nervousness she'd had last night. He was getting closer, he could actually feel the great big gaping chasm between them closing getting smaller with each moment he spent with her as she placed a little more of her trust and faith in him. He'd always known that Buffy trusted easily, and wore her heart on her sleeve. It was battered and bruised and broken, but it was slowly mending under his care. The fact that he was the one who'd broken it in the first place was slowing matters down a little. That dream she'd had last night, nightmare seemed to be an understatement! He hadn't smelled fear coming off her it had been terror, blind terror mixed with heartbreak. She'd been crying heavy tears and broken whimpers and cut off words of pleading had reached his ears.

He'd tried everything he could think of to get her to wake up, but nothing had worked and he hadn't wanted to leave her side whilst she was like that. Eventually he'd restored to just simply holding her close and whispering nonsense soothing words, and purring deep within his chest in hopes that the sounds would sooth her past the dream she seemed unable to wake up from. It hadn't taken long after that for her to settle into a deeper dreamless sleep and he'd been relieved his own fear for his future mate receding slowly as he waited to see if the nightmare would catch her up again. He'd spent a while pondering what the nightmare could have been about and he'd finally settled on it perhaps being a prophetic dream, one that perhaps foretold of a horrible fate for their world, but now it seemed so much more obvious that it had been about him. About the horrors he'd put her through in the name of vengeance against his mate, who done nothing wrong apart from being recognized by his demon as his.

Angelus sighed, the memories and dreams would fade as her confidence in him and in them grew. And then, then he could claim her completely as his. But as patient as he was he wasn't sure how much longer he could control the urge! He knew who she was to him now. He knew it beyond a doubt, but seeing the promise scar on her neck that indicated that she was soon to be taken as a mate taunted him. When he'd been sitting with her in the sunlight at one of the outside café table at her school his promise mark on display for the world to see he'd felt his fangs extend for a moment pressing against his lower lip, making his whole mouth tingle with the urge of biting deeply into the soft flesh of her neck and turning the promise mark into a mating one.

Angelus flicked his tongue around his blunt human teeth as he continued to walk slowly from the school. He turned a corner turning into the shopping district. He'd never gone hunting during the day before, but he felt the need and desire for a meal, not to mention a fresh kill. Having had his willing victim chased away by his jealous Slayer. Angelus smiled to himself, she had been jealous last night when that red headed woman had come to talk to him at the bar. It was as good a sign as the ones he'd gotten when she'd come to him later that night to be held close by him and this afternoon when they'd sat and eaten her chips. Angelus smile turned to a frown, Buffy hadn't had anything to eat for breakfast that morning. He knew it wasn't a dire thing humans could survive skipping a meal, but he didn't want her making a habit of it. She wasn't just any human after all she was his mate, and she was The Slayer she used more energy than the average human.

Angelus shook his head at himself. Buffy would be fine, she wasn't one to not take care of herself and if she did start making a habit of skipping breakfast, he would deal with it. Angelus caught the glance of a pretty young brunette as she came out of a retail facility, her business close suggesting that she worked there and was merely coming out for lunch. Angelus smiled at her charmingly, enticingly, before turning his glance away and continuing on down the street without a pause. A cruel smirk tilting up his lips as he sensed the girl following after him, moving quickly through the busy street to try and catch him up.

He easily threaded his way through the busy streets always keeping ahead of her. Turning around a corner this time into a quiet street in the bad side of town. Angelus heard her high heeled shoes clacking along the concrete at a hurried pace as she tried to catch up to him. Angelus paused and turned leaning against an old abandoned warehouse close to a corner. He smiled bemusedly at the woman as she rounded the corner her eyes landing on him almost immediately and lighting up when she saw him. "Hey, wait?" She called eagerly as he without another glance at her turned and disappeared down the alley by the abandoned warehouse. The pretty brunette wandered into the alley. She hesitated for a second when she saw the dead end, before stepping further into the alley. "Hello?" She called hesitantly when she didn't see the mysterious man who'd seemed to beacon to her with a single glance of his eyes and the upward curve of his handsome smile. Getting a bad feeling she turned to leave the alley only to startle as the man she'd been looking for in the alley seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Oh. You scared me." She said in relief a hand placed over her pounding heart.

Angelus cocked his head to the side. "Pity. I meant to terrify you. Must be the damned daylight." He taunted as he followed after her as she took fearful steps back from him. "Makes things less scary then they are at night. For who really expects anything terrible to happen in the light of day." He continued, the woman whimpered her lips quivering as she tried to form words, but couldn't seem to find them. "Aw well, I'll just have to try harder." Angelus growled before throwing the girl into the wall of the warehouse, where she crumpled to the ground her legs giving out on her.

The girl struggled to her feet as Angelus watched her. Her high heels making her slip a couple of times, before she finally managed. "P-please." She stuttered, when she finally made it to her feet cowering against the wall.

Angelus closed the distance between them with a couple of quick steps, his left hand coming up to grip her chin. He let his face shift revealing the amber eyes, hard ridges and fangs of the demon. He smiled cruelly flashing his fangs as he took a deep breath. "Ah that's better." He murmured mockingly, before he forced her to turn her head away from him revealing the beating pulse of her neck. With a graceful lunge Angelus embedded his fangs into her throat and began drinking down her blood in strong steady pulls savouring in the terror drenched taste of her blood.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow frowned contemplatively down at the rack of clothes that she was looking at in the boutique she'd entered. Out of habit she'd strolled straight to the cute weirdly patterned clothes that she normally wore. She lifted out one of the shirts on the rack, she liked it the design caught her eye and made her want to smile, but it wasn't the style she was looking for! An image of the sexier clothes Veruca had been wearing that afternoon at the lunch table formed in her vision. It was that kind of style that seemed to be catching Oz's attention lately, not her own unique Willow-wear as Buffy liked to call it.

Willow placed the shirt back on the rack and turned her back to it. Fisting one hand she aimlessly slapped it against the open palm of her hand as she let her eyes wander the store. Her eyes landed on the opposite side of the store where the more tightly fitting body framing clothes were out on display. Taking a deep breath Willow marched over with a purposeful stride, her insides twisting uncomfortably as she surveyed the clothes on the racks on that side of the store. It was a style of clothes she had never considered wearing before. For a moment her mind turned to the time she'd swapped clothes with the vampire Willow of the alternate reality. She'd felt uncomfortable and out of place wearing the skin tight pinching black leather corset top and pants. Willow turned her mind from the vampire Willow she'd meet for only a few hours and turned her complete attention back to the items on the racks before. She turned her gaze in the direction of the sound of high heeled shoes when she heard them approaching her and she smiled in relief as she saw that it was the sales assistant. She desperately needed some help she didn't think she could choose the right thing by herself… maybe she should have endured Angelus' company for a little while so that she could have made a date with Buffy to help her out with the sexy clothes scene…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Oz entered the crypt he'd put up a cage in with the help of Giles who'd procured him the heavy duty metal, after the destruction of the Sunnydale high school library. Walking into the cage he pulled the door shut behind him without looking back the solid sound of the door shutting, letting him know that he was locked inside the designated space of his cage. He pulled his shirt over his head and closed his eyes. He could feel his blood stirring with the intoxicating power of the wolf. Oz tossed his shirt into a corner where it was less likely that he would tear his clothes to shreds as a wolf. Oz frowned worriedly as he felt the wolf rise higher to the surface, the wolf felt more agitated about something… more so than usually. It was almost as if it knew something that he didn't. Oz shook his head and went about removing his pants wanting to be completely undressed before the change took him and his pants became nothing more than a useless tatter of torn shreds.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Oz the werewolf howled angrily as he hurled himself at the cage door. Ramming his strong furry body against the bars, his sensitive ears picking up the sounds of the nuts and bolts weakening; loosening. Oz snarled and hurled himself against the cage bars again. The scent of the female werewolf driving him on as he hurled himself against the bars again and again until with a final slam against the cage door the hinges broke and the door flew to the ground and Oz leapt from his cage with a snarl as he moved quickly out of the crypt and into the dark night the three quarters full moon shining down on him as he ran through the cemetery following the scent of the strange female werewolf that had dared to invade his territory.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Maggie Walsh slipped the last of her papers into her briefcase as she stood in the empty lecture hall, the students who she had just dismissed having fled as soon as they'd been given the ok, all of them more than pleased to be getting out of the classroom and on with their night to do unfinished homework, or study, or go to a party that was being held somewhere in the small town. Maggie Walsh didn't know and nor did she care. Parties were irrelevant and a complete waste of time and not something she'd ever felt inclined to take part in. Snapping her briefcase closed Walsh took it by the handle and began strolling from the room turning off the light as she walked out the door plunging the lecture hall in to darkness for the rest of the night.

She walked calmly out of the building and onto a dimly lit pathway moving in the direction of the teachers car park. Walsh paused her eyes widening slightly in alarm as the bushes that framed the pathway beside her rustled. She stared at the hedge for a moment, before assuming that it was a stray animal that had been startled by her sudden presence, near its perch. Continuing on her way she paused again however as the noise followed her rustling the bushes that she was walking past. "Hello?" She called trying to peer through the darkness and see what was behind the bush. Not receiving a reply or any kind Walsh hurried on she glanced spooked at the bushes as they rustled in time with her movements. Her heartbeat faster in her chest, her inquisitive mind going over all the possible nasty that she knew of and had researched since her time of employment with the government, it could be. None of which gave her a very pleasant image of what would happen should the thing catch her.

Picking up her pace Walsh headed for the teachers car park as fast as she could. The distance suddenly seeming really very, very far away compared to what it had when she'd first stepped out of the campus building. She soon broke into a run as the thing that was rustling the bushes continued to keep pace with her. Walsh turned a corner and moved to hurry on down it only for something to leap out of one of the bushes ahead of her in a blur of movement, but it stopped her in her tracks and her face echoed the terror she felt inside as she took in the large fury shape of it as it snarled at her and began prowling towards her.

Walsh let out a terrified noise, before hastily moving backwards her eyes on the animal in front of her. Her eyes widening as the snarling shaggy animal chased after her. Desperately Walsh threw her briefcase at the dog only succeeding in making him step lightly out of the way and snarl at her angrily. Continuing to hurry backwards Walsh reached the corner and turned around to run around it only to come to a dead stop after only a couple of steps as another lighter coloured dog stood in the path blocking her exit. Looking behind her she saw the darker haired dog snarling and growling behind her. "God!" She exclaimed fearfully as she looked back at the lighter coloured animal.

The werewolves eyed each other their attention no longer focused on Walsh at having found the other werewolf they'd been able to scent and sense on the air. They crouched almost simultaneously growling furiously, before lunging with a powerful kick of their hind-legs their forelegs outstretched there poisonous claws extended. Walsh screamed as for a moment that seemed longer that it was she watched the wolves lunging towards her, before she dived for the bushes, and the two wolves snarling attack each other. A howl escaping one of them as they hit the ground and struggled with each other, biting and clawing at each other as they both tried to get to upper hand. Walsh stood and looked through the bushes at the snarling creatures her scientists brain ticking over and contemplating what these particular demons where.

She stood there for a brief moment watching them fascinated, but her scientist brain couldn't over power her survival instincts and it was possible that the two animals would turn their attention back to her and she was out weapon-less and no way to protect herself from a vicious attack, so she turned and walked away her pace brisk as she continued on her way to the car park. Behind her she could hear the howls of the two animals carried after her, pushing her to a faster pace, her briefcase considered lost to her for the time being. She'd hopefully be able to pick it up tomorrow, before her classes.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Hours later the sun has risen bright on the new morning. In amongst the foliage in a part of the school campus, the leaves and grass covered in early morning dew. Oz lay completely naked in the grass with an equally as naked Veruca who was wrapped around him, her slim slender arm thrown about him possessively. A couple of moments later Oz's eyes open, the light of the bright morning sun beaconing him to wakefulness. Oz sat up as he noticed the unfamiliar arm that was draped around his waist, looking down he took in the deep scratches on his legs and chest. He glanced behind him as he heard a very un-Willow-y moan coming from behind him. His eyes landing on Veruca. "Morning." Veruca murmured huskily, a smile curving her lips.

Oz was silent for a moment a frown on his face as he stared out at nothing, his guts twisting inside him at the implications of what could have happened between the two of them considering the position they had woken up in. "Morning."

Veruca sighed softly the smile still on her face as she looked back and remembered the complete events of the night before. "That was some night."

Oz glanced down at his chest and legs. "So it appears." He mono-toned.

Veruca sat up completely at ease with her nakedness . "Right… you don't remember. It's like that at first, but after a while, bits and pieces start coming back to you." She explained.

Oz turned his head slightly not quite looking at her, but making it absolutely clear that he was talking to her. "A werewolf groupie? Yeah, no one else gets it done for me."

"What?" Oz asked a little sharply, in no mood for games of any kind at that moment.

"Kidding." Veruca said teasingly as she lay back down on the grass, nuzzling against it like a true animal for a moment. "You know what I am. You've know since the first time you saw me." Oz remained silent the slight evidence of the frown still on his face as he realized what his senses, his wolf had been telling him from the first moment he'd walked past Veruca on his way to meet Buffy out on patrol when'd they'd feared that Buffy was going over the deep end. "So," Veruca continued a bit put off, by the total silence she had been greeted with. "What do you want to do?" She asked.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

A little while later Oz and Veruca are in the campus laundry matte as they looked for clothes to borrow, before heading up to their dorms. Oz having already found a pair of magenta sweat pants is searching for a serviceable shirt, not caring at all in that moment about what he looked like as long as he could get back to his dorm and start thinking in peace. He couldn't figure out how they'd gotten out of their cages, he'd never done it before, unless he counted that time that the window had been open on top in the old library book and weapons cage. A little ways away from him Veruca dressed in the only sexy black matching bra and panties set pulled off another shirt and tossed it aside not at all impressed with what was available. "God. The kids in this dorm need Fashion 101 in a bad way." Veruca turned around momentarily giving up on her search for clothes, she was far more comfortable with her naked body, then when she was wearing clothes. She took in the magenta sweat pants and the baggie ugly light grey green shirt Oz had pulled on. "Or we could start right here at home."

Oz lifted his shoulders in a half shrug. "Not making a statement. Just trying to get back to my place. I want to know why we both got out of our cages and,"

"You have a cage?" Veruca asked incredulously, cutting Oz off.

Oz paused and looked at her uncomfortably. "Don't you?" He asked.

"Yeah. It has a little wheel and a cute little plastic ball with a bell in it." She said mockingly. "God. Somebody's domesticated the hell out of you." She exclaimed.

Oz gave his head a small shake. "It's my choice. I don't want to hurt anybody."

"Maybe. Or mayve you don't want to admit what happened to you. maybe you want to pretend you're just a regular guy."

"I am." Oz told her, his expression a little worried. "I'm only a wolf three nights a month."

Veruca walked towards him, her steps predatory. "Or, you're the wolf all the time, and your human face is just your disguise. Ever think of that?" She asked him whilst looking up at him from under her lashes, her powerful animalist eyes meeting his, and she smiled as she took in the fact that she'd hit a nerve.

"I'm going." Oz said uncomfortably, as he felt the attraction rising between them again, encompassing his body, causing guilt to rise in his stomach again, twisting his in sides into knots. "I have to check the paper. See if we did any damage last night."

Veruca moved closer still, her eyes capturing his again. "We did." She assured him, as she sidled up to him. "But only to each other. I know some part of you remembers that." Oz looked away from her breaking the eye contact between them, guilt surging higher inside him as he felt aroused at presence and closeness, her words that did indeed shift some foggy memory loose. Veruca gently circled her hand around his arm. "And it doesn't take a full moon…" She extended her leg and brushed her bear toes over the cold tiled floor they were standing on, brushing them back and forth in a soft sensual movement. "We could do it again right here." She murmured huskily enticingly.

Oz forced himself to move away from her, ashamed with himself as a part of him a large part of him wanted to liked the idea. "But we aren't going to." He said firmly. "It ends. Now."

Veruca took a small step towards him her voice enticing, comforting. "I can help you, Oz. You're scared. I was too. But I accept it now. The animal." She closed her eyes for a brief moment. "It's powerful… inside me all that time." She paused for a small beat, her eyes meeting his again. "Soon you'll feel sorry for everyone else. That can only wish to feel as alive as we are. As free,"

"Free to kill people?" Oz cut her off, his voice a little shaky. "I won't do that. And you shouldn't either." He told her backing up a small step towards the door.

Veruca smiled at him. "You don't understand, but you will. And you'll see that we belong together."

"No." Oz said firmly. "I know where I belong." Oz turned and moved for the door.

Veruca watched him the smile still curving up her lips, not at all put off by his reluctance. "See you tonight." She called after him. Oz forced himself to keep moving without missing a beat, his mind spinning in wild circles.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Walsh walked with Riley down a busy campus hallway. "It was unbelievable." She exclaimed to Riley. "Two of them. That I survived at all is a miracle."

Buffy who'd caught sight of them after coming out of a classroom hurried after them. "Excuse me, Ms. Walsh."

Walsh upon hearing Buffy's voice paused in the hall and turned to face her, but didn't allow her to go any further with the question she'd been going to ask as she continued on with her line of conversation, easily including Buffy in it without missing a beat. "I hope you're being careful when you walk on campus after dark. I was attacked by wild dogs last night."

"Wild dogs?" Buffy asked puzzled.

"Two of them." Riley commented adjusting the strap of the backpack that was thrown across his shoulder.

"Biggest things I've ever seen." Walsh continued, and Buffy frowned in concern as Walsh's words brought forth an idea she hadn't had to deal with in two years. "The first one, I thought it was… well for a moment I thought it was a gorilla. My heart practically stopped." Walsh took in Buffy's expression. "I know how it sounds. But crazy is my specialty, and I definitely say what I saw."

"No, I believe you." Buffy assured her professor, her concern growing, as Walsh's description as far as she knew could only really lead to one thing.

"Did you have a question, Buffy?" Riley asked kindly remembering that Buffy had to have approached them for a reason.

Buffy looked up at him confused for a second, before she remembered what he was talking about, the question she'd been going to ask had slipped completely from her mind. "No… thanks. Just saying howdy." She said pulling herself together.

"Fine." Walsh said with a small smile. "See you in class.

Walsh and Riley began to move off down the hall, but Buffy called out after them. "Uh Ms. Walsh. The wild dogs didn't scratch or bite you at all, did they?" She asked, her eyes doing a quick scan of her professor, but she couldn't see any visible marks on Walsh's skin, but most of it was covered, by her thick sweater and pants.

"No, they didn't. Thank you Buffy, I managed to jump out of the way as they attacked each other." Walsh replied a slightly puzzled expression on her own face at Buffy's question.

"Oh, well that's good. Really good. I'll uh see you in class." Buffy babbled, before turning and moving in the opposite direction down the hall. Riley and Walsh looked after her for a moment both their expressions puzzled Riley's more so than Walsh's, before the two of them continued down the hall.

Buffy sighed as she turned a corner heading towards the closest school exit. "That'd be right, I take one night off to hang with Willow and not one, but two werewolves have a party." She muttered under her breath as she walked down the hall.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Oz sat on his bed, looking through the mornings newspaper turning the pages rather quickly frantically wanting to get to the end and know if anyone had been mauled by a vicious animal the night before. It was the same frantic feeling that had made him stay in the mahogany sweat pants and Izod shirt. A timid knock on his door made him look up just as Willow poked her head in around the door to see if he was up a slightly uncomfortable on her face as she fought to not squirm in the new clothes she had bought yesterday with the help of the sales assistant. She smiled at him as she saw him on the bed and stepped into the room standing in heeled shoes that made her feel too tall as she towered over Oz.

"Hey." Willow greeted.

"Hey." He looked up at her from the bed, before getting to his feet. "New look." He observed taking the form fitting leather pants and the dark purplish long sleeved shirt. Guilt rising up in his gut again at the sight of her.

Willow looked over his outfit a little surprised to see him in the unfamiliar sweats and shirt. "You too."

Oz pauses for a moment considering what he should say. "Oh. Laundry day… kinda came and went." He lied, shifting slightly on his feet feeling bad about the lie, but he wasn't sure how to tell her the truth, he couldn't tell her much the night was still a big blank. There was only the suspicion that he and Veruca had, had sex, but it was all very vague if he told her… he wouldn't be able to give her definite answers, plus it wasn't going to happen again.

Willow allowed her bag to drop from her shoulder and onto the ground, before she walked towards him and hugged him with a smile. That diminished slightly at the awkwardness she felt between herself and Oz. Willow released him and Oz stepped away from her turning around so that his back was to her and he fiddled with something on the desk he'd walked to, to make it at least seem like he had a purpose for moving away from her… well a different one than he actually had. "Hey. I'm sorry if I was weird yesterday." Willow said tryng to break through the awkwardness she was feeling as silence encompassed them. "With you and Veruca."

"I didn't notice anything." Oz assured her, his voice a little tighter at the mention of his fellow werewolf.

"You didn't?" Willow murmured in hopeful relief. "Cause I felt all spazzy." She admitted.

"No." Oz muttered trying his best to sound casual instead of strung into a tight ball of guilt and shame, as he felt the scratches all over his body rub against the abrasive material of the clothes he was wearing as he turned back around to face her, and as Veruca's scent clung in his nostrils.

Willow did her best to take heart at his words and smiled as she walked over to him. "Oh. Good. Guess I've been worrying for nothing again." Her tone turned flirtatious. "Me and my busy head," She took hold of his hand and tapped his finger gently against his temple. "Always thinking, thinking, thinking…"

Oz did his best to smile. "Now you can stop." He said gently taking back his hand. "Everything's fine." He lied again.

"Well, maybe you can… help me stop." Willow said trying again to get the sexual undertones of her message across. Oz finally understands her message and swallowed thickly, as Willow moved closer. "I've got about half an hour." She murmured affectionately as she began rubbing his back in sensual circles that she knew that he liked. "And I'd really, really appreciate anything you can do." Her hands raise the back of his shirt, revealing a couple of the scratch marks on Oz's lower back. Willow leaned down slightly so that she could kiss him. Oz hesitated for a moment, before turning his head away avoiding her lips, giving Willow pause, before she dropped her arms from around him letting the shirt fall back down into place covering the scratches once again and she took a step back from him stricken by the silent rebuff.

"What? What's wrong?" Willow asked her voice revealing her hurt.

Oz turned his head back to look at her his eyes full of remorse. "Sorry, I…"

"You don't want to?" Willow asked her hurt growing, and clashing with her worries over Veruca.

"It's not that. I do." Oz tried to assure her. "But…"

Hurt Willow took another couple of steps back from him to stand by the bag she'd discarded earlier. "No. It's fine. I don't have that much time anyway." She excused, fully aware of the fact that she'd had the time not two minutes ago.

"It's just… I didn't sleep at all I guess. I'm really beat." Oz lied yet again, his stomach twisting around painfully as he looked at Willow's hurt and self conscious face.

"Right." Willow said hurriedly wanting nothing more than to get out of the room and away from Oz for the moment. "Busy wolf night. Got it. It's totally ok." She lied as she stooped down to pick up her bag. She pulled the strap over her shoulder as she straightened and started to move for the door.

"Will. You don't have to…" Oz said weakly as Willow opened the door.

"No. I should. I'll see you later." Willow promised before stepping out of the room and shutting the door behind her. She took a deep breath and let it out shakily before starting to head off down the hall, heading towards the front door. Leaving Oz standing still in his room feeling worse than he ever imagined possible. The feeling coursing inside him now was worse than the hurt he'd felt when he'd seen Willow kissing Xander down in that burnt out basement room in the old warehouse.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles sat at his desk a book open in front of him, but his attention was soley focused on the TV he'd moved on top of his desk and had it tuned into a channel with a quiz show playing. "Treaty of Westphalia!" Giles answered the question that the TV show host had asked one of the contestants.

"Umm, Yalta." The voice of the contestant spilled into the room from the TV's built in speakers.

Giles dropped his hand from his chin and gave the contestant an incredulous look. "Oh, you moron! That dinette set should be mine." He grumbled. At that moment the doorbell rang, making him look up at the door. Hurriedly standing he switched off the TV and hurriedly moved towards the door. Opening it he beamed at seeing Buffy stand there. "Buffy. Excellent! Come in." He said stepping out of the way of the door.

Buffy stepped through the door giving Giles a look. "Hi."

Giles closed the door and walked past her and further into his condo to stand a little ways across from her. "Can I get you anything? Some tea? I made an interesting mousaka last night if you're hungry." He offered unintentionally revealing just how bored he'd been lately.

"Pass on the teas. And the mouse. But thanks." Buffy said with a small smile.

Giles crossed his arms over his chest. "So, you come on business, I hope?" He asked a little to enthusiastically.

"Yep. Lucky for you, people may be in danger." Buffy teased him.

"I didn't." Giles stuttered. "I only meant… I'm at the ready." He muttered self consciously.

Buffy's eyes turn to the TV set that's sitting inconspicuously on Giles desk. Walking over to it she set her hand against the top feeling the warmth coming from it that indicated that it had only just been turned off recently. She turned her gaze back to Giles a knowing smile curving up her lips, a smile that Giles avoids by turning his gaze away from her to look at another part of his condo that he suddenly found really rather interesting.

"Clearly, we need to get you kicking some monster bootie, stat." Buffy teased as she stepped away from the TV. "So check it, one of my professors said that she almost got attacked by two wild dogs last night." Giles turned a questioning gaze towards Buffy. "Under the light of a nearly full moon." Buffy elaborated.

Giles stood up straighter his expression turning serious. "Werewolves? Two of them?" He questioned.

"Could be." Buffy agreed with a nod.

"I didn't see anything about attacks in the paper or on the news." Giles said as he walked towards her. "Have you spoken to Oz?"

"He's my next stop." Buffy assured her father figure as she began heading towards the door, leaving Giles feeling a sudden sense of hopelessness as he realized that there really wasn't anything he could to help with the situation, and nor was he really going to be needed.

"Yes. Get right on that. And-and I'll see what I can find out." Buffy opened the door. "And you'll report back to me,"

"ASAP. Promise." Buffy finished for him as she turned to look back at Giles for a moment, before heading out the door shutting it behind her.

Giles sighed and walked back over to his desk, his eyes focusing on the book open in front of him for a moment, before he shut it a little ill temperedly, before he reluctantly switched on the TV again, having nothing that he could really do to help at all.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander sat on his folded out couch bed in his dank basement of a room, a newspaper spread out of his lap as he looked at the help wanted ads. He looked up distracted however as he heard footsteps on his stairs, he smiled when he saw Willow descending into his room. "Hey, Will. Mom let you in?" He asked with a slight nodding gesture to indicate the upper level of the house.

"Uh-huh." Willow answered as she stepped off the stairs and started making her way over to Xander's bed. "She seemed a little cranky."

Xander folded over his newspaper. "We're having a little landlord/tenant dispute, so I'm withholding rent." He explained as Willow took a seat on the arm rest opposite where he was sitting stretched out on his bed. "An effective and might I add thrifty tactic."

"How come?" Willow asked as she got comfy on the arm rest, procrastinating about getting to the real reason she was here.

"She won't let me put a lock on my door. I suspect she's afraid I'll start having 'the sex'." Xander muttered.

"Yeah. Parents usually wait until you're out of the house…"

"Or under it." Xander cut her off.

"Or under it." Willow agreed. "To start worrying about that stuff. It's mostly too late." Willow said with a sad little smile that doesn't go unnoticed by Xander.

"So, I know why I'm sitting around in a dank, sunless little room, but why are you?" Xander asked.

Willow shifted a little on her perch, feeling uncomfortable. "I just… things with Oz are weird. I talked to Buffy about it, but I have a feeling we're in guy-ville… like I need a translator from the Y side of things."

Xander sat himself up more fully on his bed leaning his back more comfortably against the back of the couch. "Last time I checked I had the creds. Hit me."

Willow took a deep breath, and moved down from her perch on the arm rest to sit cross legged on the bed facing Xander. "What does it mean when a girl wants to… you know…" Willow murmured uncomfortably.

"Will, if you're doing it. I think you should be able to say it." Xander informed her.

"Make love." Willow amended.

"Wild monkey love, or tender Sarah McLachlan love?" Xander asked seriously.

"Any kind." Willow answered with a small frown. "But what if the girl wants to and the guy doesn't?" Willow's eyes met Xander's pleadingly. "That's a bad sign, right?"

Xander shrugged. "Could be. Or the girl caught the guy in one of the 7 annual minutes when he's legitimately too preoccupied to do it."

"But say, the girl has been noticing," Willow began.

Xander cut her off. "Will? I've deciphered your ingenious code."

"Oh." Willow mumbled, before carrying on. "Say I've been noticing Oz notice someone else. A woman."

"And this chick is noticing back?" Xander asked.

"Most definitely." Willow murmured down troddenly.

"Well, have you asked Oz about it?" Xander asked simply.

"I thought about it. But then he'll think I'm all jealous and worried." Willow said a little anxiously.

Xander gave her a look. "But you are. And odds are he feels it. I bet that's all there is to the weird your feeling."

Willow remained silent for a moment, wondering at the simpleness of it. "Ok. Now that you said that… I knew it." She gave Xander a confused look. "How come I didn't know I knew it, before you said it?"

Xander shrugged again and offered her a smile. "Love. It's a logic blocker. Talk it out with him, Will. You'll both feel better."

Willow nodded and smiled a hopeful look crossing her features. "Speaking of emotion-y type things. You should really try and be more supportive of Buffy and Angelus."

Xander's expression stiffened. "Will, you can't honestly tell me that you approve… or even like the guy. He spent the last two years tormenting us, and now suddenly Buffy's dating him and smiling 'that' smile at him."

Willow shook her head. "That's not the point Xands. One day Buffy is going to hear you, or you'll take it too far in front of Buffy and you'll hurt her and drive her away. It doesn't matter that I… we don't like Angelus. Buffy loves him." Xander flinched. "And as hard as that is for us to accept we need to, no matter how much he gives us the wiggens, because Buffy cares for him and Buffy deserves to be happy."

Xander sighed and looked away from her. "I don't know how you can be so calm about all this. He's tried to kill you and me before, what's to say he won't do it again?"

Willow shrugged. "Nothing, but Buffy hasn't let anything happen to us before… and Angelus has been on remarkably good behaviour lately." Willow took in Xander's mutinous look. "I'm not saying that you have to like Angelus, I don't, but if you want to stay Buffy's friend you at least have to stomach the fact that he'll be around and that he's with Buffy." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't let old jealousies get in the way. It's not as if you love her that way anymore." Willow got up from the bed and headed towards the stairs. When she reached them she gave him a little wave, before mounting them and quickly disappearing from sight. Xander sighed and leaned his head back against the couch back. He knew Willow was right, deep down he knew that. And Angelus had been hanging around for a while and he'd put up with it, but that was because he was still considered the enemy. Now, now he was Buffy's boyfriend… they were doing boyfriend girlfriend things together. It was enough to make him shudder in revolution at the thought of Buffy letting that dead monster touch her like that. Xander sighed again and turned his eyes down to the newspaper and flipped it open and flicked through the pages until he reached the help wanted ads.

He supposed he could stomach Buffy being with Angelus… barely, but if anyone thought that he was going to like it or even approve of it. Well then they were nuts. His tolerance of a demon that had tried to kill him more than once would and could only go so far!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow walked out the Harris' front door ignoring the look Mrs. Harris gave her as she'd walked back through the house, as if she'd been trying to determine if her clothes were rumpled or her lips swollen from forbidden kisses. Willow sighed as she walked crossing her arms over her chest, she wasn't sure if she should have talked to Xander about his attitude about Buffy and Angelus' relationship. Maybe seeing a little disapproval would help remind Buffy of just what Angelus was, and what he'd done. But at the same time she cared deeply for Buffy and Oz was able to be supportive of it, and he was usually right about those types of things. So maybe Buffy would be a good influence on Angelus.

And she was so nervous about the whole thing to. Sometimes she'd hear Buffy whimpering in her sleep and the occasional muttering of 'Angelus no please' or 'Angelus please don't do this.' Though the words weren't common normally it was whimpering and tossing and turning a pained look fixed on her face. It was very disquieting to see. Buffy had always been the strong one, their protector, and to see her so weak and afraid whilst she slept… it wasn't something she was used to, but at the same time it drew into sharp focus the extend of Buffy's fear over opening her heart to Angelus, which in a way soothed Willow. It let her see that Buffy wasn't going in blind. Willow sighed, she was torn. Angelus was such a bad guy, and he made Buffy nervous, but at the same time just recently she'd seen such a happy change in Buffy… ever since she'd started going out with Angelus. It was happening slowly, but Buffy was smiling more and laughing more… more than she'd had in the space of the last two years.

It made it almost impossibly hard for her to condemn the relationship when it was despite her fear and nervousness making Buffy the happiest she'd been in years. And even Giles wasn't commenting too much in the negative, preferring to keep his thoughts on the matter to himself. He was uncomfortable about it anyone who knew him could see that, but at the same time, despite his dislike of it, he wasn't saying anything… he was just watching from the side lines. She'd noted the way his eyes had followed Buffy over to the bar where Angelus was standing talking to the red head that had made Buffy green with jealously. Willow sighed again, it was such a hard thing to decide on! Oz made it seem so easy to just see the good that could come of it and be supportive. Willow smiled softly at the thought of Oz. He was so good and she was practically sure that after she talked to Oz things would go back to normal between them. It made so much sense, and she couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it before!

Willow smiled as she walked, heading back towards the University campus. If Oz could be so wholly supportive of Buffy then she could to, that was what best friends were all about after all, being there through the thick and thin. Just because Buffy was dating Angelus didn't mean that she should forget the very important duties of being a best friend. Her smile faded a little as she wondered if being more supportive would mean spending more time with Angelus when he was around Buffy? She really didn't like the thought of that, the guy did give her the wiggens after all, and these wiggens were justified… maybe she could just be silently supportive…?

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy walked through the cemetery that was closest to the college campus, the one that Oz had chosen as the site for his new cage after the high school had been blown up, the library being mostly decimated along with the cage that he'd used to lock himself up in during the three nights he'd turn into the wolf. Buffy came upon the crypt the sounds of a wielding gun reaching her ears, before she stepped down into the crypt, her eyes immediately going to Oz who stood in front of his cage the wielding gun in his hands as he wielded the last of the sturdy new hinges back into place. Oz's ears picked up the sounds of her footsteps and he flicked off the blow torch to face Buffy. Buffy's eyes went to hinges, before turning back to Oz. "Got out, huh?" She murmured.

"Yeah… any news about attacks?" He asked worriedly as he placed the blow torch down.

Buffy shook her head. "No. But I did hear about a person being chased by two wild dogs."

Oz swallowed thickly. "Two? Really?" He queried working at sounding and looking a little surprised.

Buffy took in the worry and fear in Oz's eyes, more than she'd ever seen before, even when they'd all been worried that he'd gotten out of his cage and killed a boy that he'd known. "You don't remember anything like that, do you? Another wolf?" She asked stepping closer.

Oz shook his head, his stomach rolling at the near lie he was telling Buffy. The wolf inside him was howling internally sensing the danger she represented, making him want to rip her throat out. It wasn't an unusual feeling during the three nights he changed into the wolf. "As soon as the change comes, I'm gone. It's like a total black out."

"Must be spooky." Buffy said softly, accepting that answer as to the reason why she'd seen such fear and worry in his eyes. It'd be hard to not now if you'd hurt someone, probably harder than knowing if you had. At least then you'd know what had happened…

"It is." Oz agreed. Oz paused a moment, before turning his gaze back to Buffy and stepping out of the way of his cage door. "Do me a favour?" He requested, even though he knew that he didn't really deserve one right at the moment.

"Sure." Buffy agreed, knowing what he wanted she stepped in front of the locked and re-hinged cage door. She delivered a few sharp hard hits and kicks to the bars. She hit near the hinges and the lock as well as the middle of the cage door wanting to make sure that Oz felt secure in entering the cage tonight. When she'd finished Buffy stepped back and gave him a nod and a reassuring smile. "Seems good to me." Oz nodded gratefully. "If I find werewolf number two on patrol tonight you might have roomie in there." Buffy said teasingly.

Oz tried, but he couldn't muster up a smile over the lightly meant words. "Thanks." He managed instead.

Buffy nodded in acceptance and turned to head towards the stairs, before turning around to look at Oz again. "Oz?" He turned to look at her. "Are you alright?" She asked unable to help noticing the small changes in his behaviour. "If possible, you seem even more monosyllabic than usual."

Oz turned his gaze to the ground his guts twisting tighter, and the urge to tell Buffy what he knew rose to the tip of his tongue, but something, some part of him made him force it down and he looked back up at her and managed a small smile. "I'm ok. Thanks."

Buffy nodded her acceptance and turned and walked up the stairs and out of the crypt. Oz turned his eyes back to the door of his cage. He wrapped his hands around two of the bars and rested his head against them, his eyes closing for a moment, before he opened them again and with an angry growl he rattled the door violently, before releasing it and turning away from the cage. Walking towards one of the low stone benches in the crypt he'd chosen he sat down on it and put his head in his hands. _'What in the hell am I doing?'_ He thought confused, for some reason he couldn't just tell Buffy about Veruca and what she was. He was drawn to her in a way he'd never felt before and as much as it ate him up inside, he didn't want to risk losing the feeling. She was another wolf like him… he'd never had the chance to interact with another wolf before, having stayed away from his cousin after contracting the virus from him. Oz ran his hands through his hair a frown furrowing his brow.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy walked down the hall to her dorm room. She came to a stop in front of her door, before turning the handle and walking inside. She paused for a second as she looked at the tall dark and handsome vampire that was sitting on her bed, before she smiled slightly and closed the door behind her. A small rush of excited nervous and nervous nerves colliding inside her. "Hey." She murmured as she dropped her bag on the ground.

"Hey." Angelus said far more confidently then Buffy, as he stood and walked towards her, her brushed a hand down her cheek and watched as she closed her eyes at the gentle affectionate touch a smile tugging at her lips, before he leaned down slowly and pressed his lips to hers. Buffy moaned softly and let her backpack fall to the floor of the dorm, before she slid her hands up his chest, enjoying the feel of his lips working against her own, before she slowly pulled back and rolling her lips together for a second.

Angelus ran a hand over the back of her head feeling the bauble that she had tied a small portion of her hair back with. "That-that was nice." Buffy murmured softly and closed her eyes as his lips brushed over her forehead soaking in the feeling. She opened them again after a moment and looked up at him with a small smile. "So what prompted this visit? More missage 'cause I gotta warn you a girl can get used to so much attention."

Angelus smiled down at her enjoying the confidence in her voice that hadn't been there when she'd opened the door to see him. "Worry, this time."

Buffy looked up at him surprised. "You heard then?"

Angelus raised an eyebrow up at her. "Heard what exactly?" He asked.

"Uh two werewolves out on the town last night… throwing a party. I'm pretty sure ones Oz, he got out of his cage last night."

Angelus frowned in concern. He hadn't heard anything about it. So either they were newly turned, or had only just gotten into town after the last full moons cycle. "And you weren't out patrolling last night."

"Nope." Buffy confirmed. "I take one night off to spend with Willow and it just happens to be the night that the wolves come out to play." Angelus gave Buffy a look and she shifted slightly, before walking past him moving further into the room. "Well, I didn't think it would matter all that much. I mean it's been fairly quite recently on the demon front, and I didn't think it'd matter if I took the night off to do the whole best friend thing." Buffy excused.

Angelus turned to face her and held up his hands. "Hey, I'm not judging. What do I care if the humans go unprotected?" Angelus lowered his hands, his expression turning more serious. "But you're going out tonight?"

Buffy nodded. "I kind of have to. I can't leave a werewolf out there to hurt people. And whoever it is, is probably scared and have no clue what's happening to them. The way Oz tells it, it's like waking up with a large hole in your memory."

Angelus moved towards her and grasped one of her small delicate looking hands in one of his own. "I'll come out with you."

"You don't need to." Buffy murmured softly, touched by his offer. "I'm a big Slayer I can handle myself."

Angelus smirked and chuckled softly for a short moment as he sat down on her bed, bringing Buffy down with him so that she sat beside him. "I know. But I'm not about to let my mate go out to hunt a werewolf possibly two on her own. A vampire protects his mate just as much as they take out their competition." Angelus smiled. "Besides I'd rather not take the risk of you getting even just one tiny scratch and turning into a mangy furry mutt, even if it is only three nights of the month. Werewolves aren't the brightest of demons, and definitely not a turn on."

Buffy smiled back. "Don't worry, I don't plan on turning furry… ever. It's the reason why God invented that wonderful thing call a razor. There handy with the hair removalling." She quipped.

Angelus released her hand and stroked it down her cheek, before cupping it again as he leaned towards her and captured her lips with his again. Before he lowered them down to lay on the bed still facing each other as they kissed. Buffy pulled back slightly. "Angelus I'm still…"

Angelus pressed a finger to her lips, before removing it. "Don't worry, we'll only go as far as you allow. Promise." Angelus murmured with his most charming, sexy smile.

Buffy reached over and caressed his cheek softly with her hand, a slightly nervous look in her eye as she pondered at her ability to say 'no'… she hadn't had much luck with the word before, but then this time Angelus was supposed to stop at the first sign of her discomfiture… "But I… uh this isn't all that fair to you." Buffy mumbled looking away from his brown eyes to look down at the gap between their bodies on the bed.

Angelus smiled. "I'm a big vampire Buffy. A little sexual frustration isn't going to hurt me." With that said Angelus leaned back into towards her and captured her lips with his own, his hand coming up to rest against her side, the green shirt she was wearing preventing him from feeling the softness of her skin directly, but he could still feel her very human warmth beneath his hand as his fingers caressed her side.

Buffy's hand slide down from his check to rest against his neck as she kicked him back, her eyes falling closed as she let the sensations his lips caused in her to move through her. Their mouths working with growing passion as they brushed against each other stimulating the passion that always seemed to be just beneath the surface between them. Angelus groaned in the back of his throat as he curved the hand that was stroking Buffy's side around her back drawing her closer to him. Undeniably happy that he was this close to her once again, his body having missed the feel of hers since the night he'd held her in his arms. Buffy moved her hand up so that her fingers buried themselves in the soft thickness of his black hair, a moan escaping her lips as she shifted closer so that her chest was pressing against his. A familiar throb started in her core and on instinct she threw her leg over Angelus' hip thrust her hips against his leg wantonly, her passion fogging over her mind and not one warning flag not matter how distant flared up in alarm. Angelus hand on her back pressed her closer fisting in the material of her green shirt making it ride up at the back a little, before he released it and slid his hand down so that it was resting across her ass, as he slid his leg up so that as she thrust her hips up against him, her clit pressed firmly against his upper thigh.

Buffy moaned again pressed herself closer to him, licking her tongue over his lips, before thrusting inside his mouth when he opened for her. Her tongue massaging against his cooler one passionately as she rocked her hips up against his thigh in helpless wanton movements. Her heart pounding in her chest as her desire rose. She heard and felt Angelus growl against her lips, she could feel it vibrate through her chest and it added something more to the heat the was building inside her, and the taunt cord that was beginning to form in her abdomen. Across from them the door opened and Willow stepped inside a high pitched squeak of shock and embarrassment escaping her making Buffy jerk away her cheeks flaming with embarrassment as her eyes landed on Willow standing in the door way. "Oh uh, sorry." Willow stuttered her own cheeks a flame from what she had just walked in on, whilst silently thanking any and all deities she could think of for not having walked in on the two naked. "I'm just, oh." Willow squeaked still flustered as she stepped into the room leaving the door open as she moved over to her side of the dorm to grab the things she needed to bring to the Wicca orientation. "I'm just gonna…" She pointed to her desk where her things were already gathered. "Then I'm gonna…" She pointed to the still open door.

"Uh, that's ok." Buffy assured Willow flusteredly herself as she sat up completely. "We were just uh, waiting for night to fall… for uh, patrol." Buffy fumbled out.

"Oh, good." Willow's eyes travelled to Angelus for a moment, before shooting away when his eyes a much deeper brown than normal met her own. "You two are patrolling together again? I mean well, uh. Like you and Angel used to?"

Buffy glanced over at Angelus, before skirting her gaze back to Willow. "Uh no. There's just uh, a stray werewolf in town." Buffy said whilst swallowing.

Willow paused her awkwardness momentarily forgotten. "There's a new werewolf in town?"

Buffy looked at Willow surprised her own embarrassment forgotten. "Yeah, didn't Oz tell you?"

"Oh, uh, no he-he didn't." Willow said with a sad look, before she attempted to pull herself together. "I bet he was just really busy."

Buffy nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'm sure that's it." She murmured reassuringly, her hand moving across to Angelus' and giving it a warning squeeze, just in case the urge to spout something hurtful overcame him, but Angelus was more than happy to just simply glare at Willow if even just ignoring her. She was of no interest to him, and he wasn't planning on risking the fragile amount of trust he'd gained from Buffy by letting his tongue run away with him, he had much more control over himself than that… of course that didn't mean that he couldn't think it.

"Right." Willow hefted the bag that had her stuff in it up higher on her shoulder. "I'm gonna go. I don't wanna be late."

"Right, Wicca group. You go have fun we can handle the stray wolf-y." Buffy told her. Willow nodded and turned and hurried out the door letting it close behind, the awkwardness she had temporarily forgotten having come back with a vengeance at having noticed Buffy and Angelus' hands intertwined.

Buffy looked at the door, before her gaze went to her knees. She released Angelus' hand from her own as she used both of her hands to run over her face. "Oh, this is not good." She groaned.

"Your right." Angelus agreed. "She totally killed the mood."

Buffy playfully swatted his arm as she shot a half hearted glare at him, not able to bring herself to be angry at him for his remark. He hadn't after all said anything to hurt her friend. "No. Oz didn't tell Willow."

Angelus sighed softly to himself, he could scent his mates distress over this fact in the air and he shifted closer her to her, and folded his arms about her, pressing her against his chest, his hands running through her hair and over her back. Comforting and soothing his mate something he hadn't done before when he should have been. He pressed a kiss into her hair as he felt Buffy relax against him. His hard on forgotten and over powered by his instincts to protect and comfort his mate. He closed his eyes and let the feelings that he had once fought so hard against surge through him unimpeded, and a low pitched purr rumbled forth from his chest. It was purr that was used to sooth ones distressed mate, and Buffy had always liked it when Angel had purred for her out of contentedness when they'd been alone together.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

In The Bronze up on the stage Shy are rehearsing. Veruca stood closest to the front her mind on Oz as she sang the lyrics to a new song she and the band had been making up since she'd first realized what Oz was and what that meant for them. She danced passionately to the music, moving her body as much as she was able without compromising her voice as she sang into the microphone out into the empty nightclub.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Oz sat on his bed his expression riddled with the guilt and confliction that he was feeling inside of himself, as he warred with himself over what he should do about Veruca he couldn't very well let her continue to hurt people the way she was. If he hadn't been there to distract her would the person Buffy had told him about being attacked by wild dogs would she have killed them or worse wounded them, sentencing them to the existence of the wolf. With the way she'd spoken in the campus laundry matte it seemed to him that she wouldn't have minded either way. She would have thought turning them would be like saving them.

Oz looked out his window watching as the sun moved slowly lower in the sky, bringing home the fact that he was running out of time to make a decision. If he left it alone and stayed out of the way Buffy or Veruca could get hurt and neither option sat well with him. For some reason protecting Veruca meant a lot to him. Somewhere deep inside she called to him, to a part of him or the wolf that he hadn't even known existed, and the pull was powerful, and it seemed to grow as the sun continued to sink lower in the sky. Oz looked away from his window as he continued to war within himself as he argued all the cons of actually calling Veruca, trying to convince himself that it was an idea that was far worse than it felt, but he couldn't deny that a large part of him wanted to, wanted to give in. To have Veruca the first female wolf he'd come across. The first person like him…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow sat off to the side the Wicca group she had gone to meet up with the furthest thing from her mind as they talked animatedly around her. Her eyes were on the slowly sinking sun, she wanted to go to Oz to ask why he hadn't told her about the other wolf and how he'd even known about it. At the same time she was hurt that he hadn't confided in her, that he hadn't told her something so important as another werewolf roaming about the night. Plus she'd wanted to come to the Wicca orientation, if she hadn't gone she wouldn't have been able to join the group until next semester when they might just hold another orientation.

Willow crossed her arms over her chest her eyes still fixed on the setting sun as she wondered how Oz was doing as he locked himself up for the second time in a row without her. Despite her hurt she still felt terrible that she wasn't there for him. She was always there for him when he was due to turn wolf-y. She'd sit with him in the crypt with a torch and do her homework and hold a not always one sided conversation with the wolf Oz as he growled and snarled in places, making it seem like he was talking back.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Oz swung his legs over the side of his bed and reached for the receiver, still thinking that it was a bad idea, but he couldn't seem to help himself as he dialled Veruca's number and impatiently waited for her to pick up on the other end of the line.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Oz stood impatiently in his cage the door wide open as he stood in the door way, his hands coming up to curling around the bars that made up the top of the cage doorway. He looked up as Veruca's scent reached his nose and a moment later he saw her walking slowly down the stairs. Her eyes landed on the cage and Oz and a smile twitched at her lips. "So this is why you called me here? To see you're habit-trail." She stepped off the stairs and walked a couple of steps into the crypt looking around it with curious eyes having never been inside a crypt whilst in her human form. "Right before sunset I get a little buzz, you know?" She murmured flexing and winding her arms around behind her.

"Come here." Oz said evenly, his tone firm.

"I'm not getting in that stupid cage with you, if that's what this is about." Veruca said somewhat bemusedly. "We belong outside."

Oz shook his head, his own body hyped as the sunset grew closer. "You can't run loose tonight. And not just because you might hurt someone. I know people, who will be out there, hunting for us."

"Really? You should meet new people." Veruca taunted.

"I'm serious." Oz said, his voice deepening as the change grew closer and closer. The call he felt towards Veruca heightening with each moment.

Veruca paused, before wandering closer to the cage, being sure to keep from stepping inside. "So you're saying that I should spend the whole night with you. Alone. Locked in a cage…"

"You'll be safe." Oz told her, breathing in her scent.

"Not from you." Veruca eyed the cage, before turning her gaze back to Oz. "Isn't that really the point of this cosy arrangement?"

Veruca took a couple more steps towards him eating away the distance, sexual tension building between them with every step she took. She shuddered slightly and smiled up at him. "It's coming. Do you feel it? It's like… blood boiling…" She murmured huskily.

"I feel it." Oz said in a soft whispered tone that was filled with need.

Veruca's eyes met his and her gaze turned vulnerable, instead of her usual confident self, as she ran her hand along the iron bar of the door, her fingers curling around it as she gripped the strong bar. "I wanted you even before I saw you. I sensed you. Did you sense me?" She asked.

"Come here." Oz said commandingly, skirting around answering the question, a part of him still refusing to admit that he was going to do this.

"Did you?" Veruca asked instantly looking up at him from under her lashes. Oz felt his control over his instincts snap as his eyes met hers once again and in answer he grabbed her and jerked her forward, with her hand still curled around one of the bars to the cage door, the door was pulled shut behind her where it locked automatically. In one motion he kissed her hungrily, passionately all other thoughts leaving him as he and Veruca slide down to the floor, their two clasped hands still raised in the air, and as night began to fall their hands sprouted thick fur and their fingernails became sharp black claws.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy walked side by side with Angelus threw one of the twelve cemeteries in Sunnydale their stealthy search of the campus grounds having yielded them nothing. They walked in silence their steps quite over the soft grass. Buffy paused for a moment as her eyes landed on one of the statues on the graveyard an old memory surfacing of her and Angel sharing kisses and moans. Their hands roaming, completely unaware of the danger that consummating their love would bring. The terrible pain that would follow. Angelus noticed her pause and his eyes drifted to the same spot as hers, before glancing down at her when she began moving again. "Lots of memories here, huh?"

Buffy glanced over at him checking his expression, not seeing any cruelness in his face, she answered a little hesitantly, but honestly. "Yeah." She smiled. "Never thought I'd spend most of my time making out with my boyfriend in a gloomy cemetery." Buffy crossed her arms over her chest, one of her hands gently fingering the strap to the trank gun she had safely across her shoulder.

Angelus glanced to across the cemetery in the opposite direction of where Buffy and Angel had spent many forbidden moments making out when they were supposed to be patrolling. His eyes landing on the spot where he'd set upon her when she'd been downed by the flu. She'd been so easy to overpower and he'd enjoyed it her fear and panic as it rose up around him, even as worry had nagged at him twisting in his gut, telling him to get off her and take her away to look after her. Buffy followed his gaze and remembered the same thing, the memory causing a shiver to run through her, just as Angelus turned his eyes back to her. "Buff, I…"

Buffy looked up at him and graced him with a slightly self conscious smile. "I know, it's all in the past, right." She turned her gaze away from him. "It's not as if you killed me… that punch hurt like the dickens though. I swear it made my head swim… but that could have been the flu."

Angelus grimaced and looked down at her as they walked beside each other. "I came to visit you, you know." Buffy turned a questioning gaze up at him. "At the hospital a little later that night. I had a bouquet of white roses and everything."

Buffy smiled slightly. "I don't remember that."

"Well, you wouldn't. I never made it to your room. Xander your little white knight decided not to let me pass."

Buffy eyes widened in surprise. "And you let him?"

"Well, he stood up to me despite his legs knocking together in fear. He stood in front of me and told me that I could kill him, but then I'd have to kill every other person out in the hall just to get to your room and remain undisturbed, and no matter how the boy annoys me I could respect the courage that took."

"So, you didn't massacre a whole group of hospital staff." Buffy murmured.

"No, I hadn't come for death and blood although the idea of just snapping Xander's neck was almost too tempting to resist."

"So, why did you come? To mock me in my sick bed?" Buffy asked.

"No. I was worried about you." Angelus sighed as he took in the disbelieving look in her eyes. "Look, I may not have realized it, but deep down I knew what you were to me, as much as I fought against it. I probably would have just set the flowers in a vase and watched you sleep… no matter what I thought about you one fact was always constant. You are just so damned cute when you're sleeping."

Buffy flushed an looked away, feeling ridiculously happy that he'd come to visit her when she'd had the flu, and had even bought white roses with him, and he hadn't killed Xander when it would have been a simple matter for him, it wasn't as if Xander could have managed to actually fight him off. Buffy uncrossed her arms from their protective position over her chest and let them drop to her sides, before slipping her warm hand into Angelus' cooler one, her fingers curling around the back of his hand, his doing the same with hers. Buffy smiled to herself, more pieces of her heart beginning to heal together, fresh scabs joining the slightly older ones. Buffy looked around the cemetery they were patrolling and shook her head. "You know, I think maybe wolfy knew we were coming."

Angelus nodded his agreement. "Yeah, wolves pick off the weak and those on their own. The two of us together with no one else around. It should have attacked us by now."

"Unless it's off attacking someone else." Buffy muttered. "You know maybe we should check out lovers lane."

Angelus raised a lewd eyebrow at her a lusty half smile curving up his lips. "I think we'll need a car for that."

Buffy shot Angelus a playful glare, whilst a rush of heat flooded through her. "Not for that. The last time we had a werewolf on our hands, he hung out around there… and The Bronze… hormone-y teenage places."

Angelus mentally sighed, one of the last places he wanted to be was surrounded by fumbling bubbling horny teenagers in the backs seats of their cars moaning and groaning and whispering and giggling as they fumbled through the motions. It might have been amusing if he thought he could get away with killing a couple and possibly scaring a few others, but somehow he doubted Buffy would see it his way. "Great. Lover's lane it is." He muttered sarcastically.

Buffy glanced over at him. "Don't sound so enthused." She teased. "We'll only be doing a quick look around, before we head off to The Bronze… we could get a drink there if you wanted, before heading off if Mister Wolf isn't around their either."

Angelus squeezed Buffy's hand gently as they changed their direction heading back out of the deserted cemetery as they made their way towards the secluded area that was just perfect for hiding cars that had horny hormone driven teenagers in the back seat.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow walked through the cemetery towards Oz's crypt under the bright early morning sun, a determined cheerful jump to her step as she thought about what she wanted to say to Oz about what she'd been feeling over the breakfast she had bought for them and the drink to share. Her feeling of everything returning to normal after she told Oz about her feelings about Veruca still firmly in place. Making it to the crypt Willow skipped down the steps a smile in place more than ready for a fresh start with this new day. She froze the smile slowly fading from her face as she looked inside the cage and saw two bodies instead of one.

At first she's not sure what she's seeing, her mind unwilling to believe, but the longer she started the more she realized that the other body was indeed feminine and more than that the style of her hair, indicated more than a little that it was Veruca. There was only one woman she knew with that hair cut after all, and only one woman she knew of that Oz had been noticing more and more lately. As it became crystal clear in her mind what she was seeing her hold on the breakfast she had bought not even 15 minutes loosened and the bag and drink slipped from her fingers and fell to the ground, the soda spilling over the concrete floor along with a pained cry from her lips.

The noise wakes Oz and Veruca. Oz looked in the direction of the noise and his sleepy expression turned horrified. "Willow!" He exclaimed the pained look on her face making his guts twist tighter as he quickly threw Veruca's arm from around his waist and sat up, and grabbed his pants and shoved his legs through them.

"Oh my God… oh my God!" Willow cried tears welling in her eyes, but not yet falling. Oz stood and did up the fly and button to his pants and rushed over to the cage door and reached around and punched in the combo by touch memory. Behind him Veruca moved more languidly not fazed at all by Willow's sudden appearance, in fact she felt rather pleased.

Oz opened the door and stepped out of the cage. "I know what you saw. It was… I had to…" Oz stammered searching for the right words. "I had to lock her up with me."

"I bet." Willow said in strained tones her body trembling with the shock and hurt.

"She's like me a wolf." Oz explained, just as Veruca appeared at the cage door buttoning her long black coat the only item of her clothing that survived the night.

Willow laughed darkly her pain more than obvious. "Well, I knew you two had a lot in common, but…" Oz moved closer to her reaching out to touch her. His fingers almost graze her arm when Willow jerked back her eyes hurt and angry. "Don't touch me!" She yelled furiously.

"She was going to hurt somebody." Oz pleaded. "I didn't have a choice,"

"But you did!" Willow cried cutting him off. "You could have told somebody. Your solution lock the two of you in a cage together for all night."

Oz flinched not having anything he could say in defence of himself for that. He knew that he could have told Buffy, she hadn't killed him, she'd helped him… but Veruca… Veruca was so different compared to him, she didn't care if she hurt people… and he hadn't seemed to be able to help himself, as much as he hated himself for that fact, it was almost like it had been beyond his control.

Veruca smiled and stepped out of the cage. "Girls got a point." She said a little smugly.

"Leave." He demanded angrily.

Veruca gave him a confused and slightly hurt look. "I was just saying…" She began as she walked over to the things she'd left on the ledge that connected to the stairs.

"Now!" Oz shouted for the first time in his life, his angry voice echoing around the crypt for a small moment. Veruca gave him a last hurt look, before grabbing her stuff and without a backward glance moved past the now crying Willow and up the stairs and out of the crypt. When Veruca was gone Oz turned his regretful eyes back to Willow, her pain killing him. "I'm sorry." He apologized sincerely.

Willow turned her hurt accusing eyes on Oz. "Why didn't you talk to me? I knew. I knew, you jerk! And you stood there, and told me everything was fine? That's as bad as… as…" Willow gestured towards the cage unable to bring herself to say the words.

Oz's expression darkened a little, a small spark of anger surfacing in him. He remembered the feeling, having been on Willow's side of the fence. "I know how it feels. I remember."

Willow gave him a shocked look not having expected him to bring it up. "Oh, so what? This is payback?" She swallowed thickly. "I had this coming?"

Oz looked at her taken aback not having meant that at all. "No. That's not…"

Willow cut him off. "Because I thought that was behind us. And you know what happened with Xander. It doesn't compare. Not with what you and I had and not with what whatever you've been doing with her!"

"I don't know what Veruca and I have done." Oz pleaded. "When I change it's like I'm gone and the wolf takes over."

Willow swallowed her tears still falling down her cheeks, his words making her feel a little better, but only for a moment as a question hit her and she couldn't just not ask it… not now. "But before this, when you were just regular Oz. You had feelings for her, didn't you?"

"I could sense something, yes. But,"

"But," Willow interrupted realization hitting her like a hammer to the skull. "You wanted her. Like in an animal way." Her voice became pinched with pain. "Like more than you wanted me." Oz remained silent not being able to deny it without lying and he didn't want to do that. Willow understood his silence and shook her head devastatedly, before turning and running out of the crypt, before Oz could think of something better to say, something that would take away most of the sting from the blow. Willow ran through the cemetery trying to outrun the growing pain in her chest.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow walked miserably down the main street of Sunnydale, her arms crossed protectively over her chest as tears streamed down her face in an unchecked flow unable to get herself to stop, the pain in her heart to great for her to even bother to try. People walked by her in the street happy to ignore her, but she didn't notice as she continued to walk stuck in her own world of pain and misery and the choking feeling of betrayal.

Buffy walked calmly down the opposite side of the street a happy smile on her face, it had been a good night for her last night, sure they hadn't run into the stray werewolf they had in Sunnydale, but the night had been rather fun once they'd left 'lover's lane' and headed towards The Bronze they'd sat at the bar and Angelus had bought her a drink, a mocha whilst he'd once again had a whiskey. She had been rather comfortable with him there, and she'd felt safe sitting beside him, her shoulder brushing his on occasion as they shared smiles as they talked about nothing in particular until they'd left and they talked a little shop, before deciding on a new location to check for the werewolf they were hunting.

Buffy looked across the street her eyes landing on Willow, the smile slide right off her face like running water as she took in the pain on Willow's face, and not just any pain a deep heart wrenching pain. Something she was more than familiar with. Buffy made to walk across the street towards Willow, when Willow without looking stepped onto the street and right into the path of an oncoming car that wasn't slowing down. "Willow!" Buffy shouted drawing Willow's attention, as she began madly running across the road her heart pounding in her chest, desperate to make it in time.

Willow turned in the direction of Buffy's voice and just looked at her confused to see her blond friend racing towards her. Then out of nowhere a pair of strong hands grabbed her arms and spun her back off the road and onto the safety of the footpath just as the car tooted it's horn angrily as it passed, drawing Willow's attention to the fact that she had almost been run over by a car. Looking up at the person that was still holding her arms she saw Riley. Riley looked down at her in concern. "Willow? Are you ok?" He asked. Willow looked up at him for a moment longer, before shaking her head and looking away from him.

Buffy came to a stop beside Willow and Riley, her hazel eyes turned to Riley gratefully. "Thank you. I was too far away." She said one of her hands coming to rest comfortingly on Willows arm.

"It was lucky she almost…" Riley began.

But Buffy's attention was now focused on Willow, concern filling her hazel eyes as she got another look at the deeply etched pain on her face. "Willow, what's the matter?" She asked. Willow just shook her head again, words still escaping her.

"Maybe you should get her home." Riley suggested to Buffy. Buffy nodded her agreement, her eyes moving from Willow to Riley for a moment, before moving back to Willow. Riley turned kind eyes down on Willow. "Whatever is it, be more careful, ok? I promise, it's not worth hurting yourself over." Willow barely nodded as Riley released her and Buffy's arm wrapped around her back in a comforting embrace. Buffy looked back at Riley and mouthed a last 'thank you' at him, before focusing her complete attention back on her best friend as they slowly walked down the street heading for the safety and privacy of their dorm room.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

A long while later in their dorm room Willow sat hugging one of her cushions whilst sitting curled up on her bed her eyes sad, whilst Buffy sat across from her, not having left her side since having walked her back to the dorm and allowing Willow to tell her what had happened in her own time. Buffy glanced out the window and sighed regretfully. "I have to go." She murmured as she got to her feet. "I have to find Veruca before the sun sets." Willow nodded her understanding, a vicious hope in her chest that the female werewolf got hurt pretty badly in the process. "I will, though. And when I do this thing stops. She's bad news." Buffy moved to turn away, before turning back a millisecond later, her eyes that had been hard before as she'd talked about Veruca where soft and concerned now as she looked down at her heartbroken friend. She had never wanted to see her friend go through that feeling. Had never really thought that she'd have to… not with Oz. "Can I get you something, before I take off? Kleenex? Chocolate-y, chocolate anything?"

Willow gave her head a small shake. "No." She murmured quietly.

"I'll come back as soon as things are taken care of. You just take it easy, ok?" Buffy promised and Willow nodded. "Riley was right. The main thing is, put the blame where it belongs. Don't hurt yourself." Willow hesitated a moment, before nodding her acceptance of Riley and Buffy's wisdom.

"Ok." Buffy said, and turned towards the door, before stopping and turning around to look at Willow again in concern. "You're ok?"

"I'm fine. Promise." Willow lied with a small shaky smile.

Buffy nodded, not really believing, having said the exact same thing more often than she could count of the past two years and not having meant it at all. "I love you." She said feelingly. Willow just looked at her. Buffy turned and headed towards the door, picking up the trank gun as she walked past it. She pulled open the door only to come face to face with Angelus who'd just been about to raise his fist to knock. Buffy looked back at Willow who was looking at Angelus stonily, her eyes still puffy. Angelus looked past his eyes confirming what his senses where telling him. Buffy stepped out of the room and shut the door behind her quietly.

Angelus looked down at her. "What's wrong with the little Wicca wannabe?"

Buffy shot Angelus a 'not impressed look' before looking down at her hands. "Let's just say that there was a reason our wolf didn't show last night."

It wasn't the words that made Angelus understand their meaning it was the look in Buffy's eyes the anger and hurt on her friends behalf that had Angelus understanding completely. "So, were going to visit Oz then I take it."

Buffy nodded. "Yep, I wanna find Veruca, before the sunsets and Oz is the one person who's most likely to know where she is."

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

In the dorm Willow looked at the closed door consideringly, before she glanced away from it and gave a small nod at her thoughts. "Put the blame where it belongs." She repeated Buffy's words. Putting down her pillow Willow slid from her bed and dragged a trunk out from its position next to her bed, giving her enough space to open the lid. She looked down at the spell books and spell ingredients that she had arranged inside the trunk as she pondered for a moment which of her spell books, just might have something that could satisfy her need for vengeance.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Oz sat on the edge of his bed his phone to his ear. "You haven't seen her around? Ok. Thanks man." Oz said to the guy on the other end, before hanging up a worried expression on his face as he wondered just where Veruca could possibly be. A knock sounded on his door making him look up he didn't have time to answer before Buffy stepped into his room.

"Where is she?" Buffy asked, not feeling warm enough towards Oz to even attempt to be polite at that moment.

"I don't know." Oz said helplessly. "I already tried all her usual haunts." Buffy rolled her eyes and moved to walk back out the door in no mood to waste time, only to pause as Oz started speaking again. "But, I know the areas we're drawn to, and I'm pretty sure I can follow her scent."

Buffy turned back to look at him over her shoulder her normally warm hazel eyes cold. "We'll try that, then."

Buffy turned around completely. Oz hesitated as he slid his coat on, his eyes on Buffy's back. "Look." He began making Buffy pause her back stiff. "You should just know that.

Buffy turned around to face him. "Oz. This might be a good time for your trademark stoicism." She said firmly, before turning around and walking out the door. Once outside Angelus fell into step beside her, not bothering to glance at Oz as he meekly followed them out the door, his scent guilt filled mingling with his sadness. He didn't care about him and Willow, but even if he had he wasn't sure he would have been able to condemn the boy, he understood if only vaguely why Oz had done what he had, but as it was he really wasn't all that interested in any of Buffy's friends, beyond the fact that he found most of them annoying and wished more often than not that his golden haired mate would drop them all.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow stood over the wooden bowl ingredients already in it as well as a small burning fire filling the empty lab with the scent of the herbs needed to perform the spell accurately. "Iconjure thee, by Barabbas, by Satanas, and the Devil…" Willow began to chant reading from the spell book she had brought with her. "As thou art burning, let Oz's and Veruca's deceitful hearts be broken." The flames grew higher flaring with the rise in magic invoked by the pain fuelled words.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Oz, Angelus and Buffy move quickly through the woods following Oz as he was the one who knew Veruca's scent the best. Angelus glanced around the forested campus area making sure that they weren't being snuck up on by the female werewolf. By the sounds of this one, she'd fully embraced the wolf's nature, and had no regard whatsoever for the humans around her, only for her own primal and instinctual pleasure, just like the werewolf she became three times a month. That made her dangerous… even before the influence of the full moon took hold of her. Especially so if she felt that Oz was her mate. Oz paused in his stride and tilted his head sniffing. "This way." He said, before taking off in the direction he could scent Veruca. Buffy followed without a word, her body at the ready to grab the trank gun she had slung over her shoulder.

Angelus followed after them his eyes still scanning, something felt off to him. To his ears the woods sounded to quiet, even with demonic predators moving about. Birds where usually content to ignore them if they were high up in the trees, vampires weren't interested in them and werewolves only attacked what they could see and weren't impossibly hard to get at, like say up a tree. Angelus focused his eyes on Buffy as she moved with a determined stride, moving quickly after Oz, her desire to find the stray werewolf clear to see in every muscle in her being, as well as her anger at Oz for hurting Willow, an anger that she was shoving to the side out of her greater need to find the werewolf. His eyes drifted to Oz and he scowled at him, the sun wasn't that far from setting, if the boy turned whilst out of his cage and managed to scratch his mate, friend of Buffy's or not, he'd rip the wolf limb from furry limb!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow tossed more ingredients into the flames that were still roaring high with the magic building in the lab. "I conjure thee by the Saracen Queen, and by the name of hell. Let them know no love or solace, let them find no peace as well." She chanted, and the beakers and test tubes she had on the lab table began to hover. Willow looked at them slightly surprised, before turning her eyes back to the book open in front of her.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"She's right near here. I can smell her." Oz said as he came to a halt tilting his head as he tried to determine where the scent lead from there.

Angelus rolled his eyes as he came to a stop, having identified the scent Oz was tracking. "She's nowhere near here. The scents too old for her to actually be here."

Oz shook his head. "No it has to be her."

Buffy turned away from Oz intending to say something to Angelus, but she got distracted as she caught sight of something in the bushes. She took a step closer and she frowned in annoyance. "Or it's the dirty pile of clothes she left lying on the ground."

Oz moved over to her and he felt his blood run cold at the same time as it ran hot with the buzz the closing in sunset gave him. "They could be from the other night when she," Buffy shot him a warning look, letting him know that he better carefully think about the words that were about to leave his mouth. "Turned into a werewolf."

"Unless she wanted to throw you off the scent." Buffy glanced over at Angelus. "The scent isn't totally fresh right… it's been here for a few hours?"

"At the very least." Angelus agreed, before turning his eyes from Buffy to land on Oz, his own senses telling him how close the sunset was, his old survival instincts still intact despite the fact that the sun couldn't affect him whilst he wore the gem. "You should brush up on your skills boy, before you offer them." He growled, before turning away from the both of them for a moment to check the surroundings his ears picking up the sound of footsteps a little way off, but not far enough away to not cause him to ponder at it. _'Who would be this far out on the UC Sunnydale campus?'_

Oz turned his eyes to the ground before they widened and he looked back up at Buffy slightly panicked fear clutching at him. "Willow." He exclaimed. Buffy's own eyes widened and she took off after Oz whilst un-slinging the trank gun and holding it in her hands so that she would have it at the ready for whenever they ran into Veruca. Angelus turned and followed after them, not worried about Willow at all, but rather enjoying the exercise as his legs moved instinctively tuning into the beats of the two wildly beating hearts he was chasing after.

Buffy ran after Oz, not keeping in direct line with his path as she dodged through the trees, making sure that she headed in the same direction as Oz, not wanting to lose him and his keen sense of smell that would lead straight to Veruca and Willow. Buffy dodged round a thick tree trunk and rounded a corner into a small clearing and slammed right into a military garbed man with a ski mask on and totting a weapon of his own. The impact scent them both sprawling to the ground their weapons flying from their hands.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow felt the energy and power of her magic surrounding her like a living pulsing thing, the power hovering around her waiting to be directed at its intended target to unmercifully and unfeelingly deliver its purpose. Willow picked up a photo Oz from the table, the last ingredient she needed for the spell. She looked at it with hurt eyes for a moment, before turning her gaze to the burning fire the words she needed to say already memorized. "Let this image seal his fate, not to love, but only hate." Willow moved to throw his picture into the flames, but as she did so she really looked at the picture. At his smiling face and she hesitated through her pain and her sorrow she could still feel the love she felt for him.

She moved once again to try and caste the image into the fire, but her single minded focus had been broken and she couldn't bring herself to curse Oz no matter how much he had hurt her. She dropped the photo down on the table like it had burnt her and the floating beakers and test tubes fall from the air smashing as they landed on the table the remnants of the potions in them pooling on the table, but the magic that had been building in the room had dispersed with her dropping the picture. Willow looked down at the photo sadly.

Her tearful silence broken by a familiar hated voice as Veruca who had been listening at the door waiting to see what Willow would do stepped fully into the room. "Wow." She said sarcastically. "For a minute there I thought you might actually play rough." Willow turned to face the door her tear filled eyes landed on Veruca. "Sometimes you have to, you know. To keep what's yours." Veruca smiled darkly. "Sometimes you have to kill."

Willow looked out the window fearfully, as Veruca closed and locked the door to the Lab. "Well what do you know? Sun's almost down." Willow looked back at Veruca terrified, knowing that as soon as the sun set Veruca would turn into the rampaging werewolf who's only thought was for it's own primal animalistic urges.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy scrambles to her feet just as the military garbed man she'd run head long into snatched his weapon and took off into the trees. Scrambling for her weapon Buffy stood up straight and looked around she didn't see Oz, or Angelus. Frustrated Buffy ran on towards the campus at as fast as speed as she could manage.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

A little further up Angelus moved silently through the trees heading after the military dressed man Buffy had ran into, a deep scowl on his face, he'd seen these guys once before, but had thought nothing of it. It wasn't unusual for humans to dress up on Halloween, but for them to be dressed up on an ordinary day and on a school campus? It wasn't normal especially when the Sunnydale military base was nowhere near the university campus so there was no way soldier boy was lost.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow stood still looking at Veruca her body shaking with rage and fear, whilst Veruca stood relishing the moment, enjoying the buzz that signalled the closeness of her last change for the month. "Can't same I'm surprised you didn't go through with your little hex. You don't have the teeth."

"You don't know what I have. You don't know anything about me!" Willow said angrily tears still in her eyes.

"I know what you love." Veruca inhaled and rolled her neck down so take more of Oz's scent clinging to her in. "I have his scent on me right now." Willow angry and hurt rushed forward trying to get to the door, but as she moved to dart past Veruca, she back handed her viciously sending her sprawling to the floor, blood on her lip, as she stared up at Veruca slightly dazed from the blow. "Go ahead and cry, but you should have seen this coming. You can't tame a wild thing." Veruca said confidently, unable to keep herself from rubbing it in whilst she waited for the change to take her over. "He's not yours anymore. He's in you, he'd be thinking about me… no. Not thinking it's deeper than that." Veruca paused and smiled mockingly down at Willow as she looked up at her with wide eyes. "Why don't you just try to relax now? In a minute or two it'll all be over," Veruca would have continued on with her monologue, but at that moment the door she had locked was kicked open and Oz stepped quickly into the room out of breath and angry.

His eyes went to Willow who was lying on the ground still, he could scent the blood on her lip and see the bruise forming. He turned his eyes to Veruca. "Don't touch her again." He growled.

Veruca turned to face him fully. "Come stop me. I like it rough, remember?" The sun sank almost completely in the sky leaving the room dark.

Oz felt his body respond to the low level of the sun the change beginning to affect his movements and stance making them more predatory and he knew that in any moment the change would begin. "You want to hurt me, hurt me. But leave her out of this."

Veruca stalked towards him eyes flashing incredulously, her blue eyes deepening to deeper even more vivid blue of her wolf. "How can I? When she's the reason you're living in cages. She's blinding you! When she's gone, you'll be able to admit what you are." Veruca circled behind him just as the first stage of the shift over took them.

Willow watched from her position on the ground her eyes wide as she took in the first stages of their transformation, and new that soon she'd be faced with two werewolves. Oz turned his gaze from Willow, not wanting to see the fear on her face any more as she watched them. "You don't want to find out what I am." He growled his voice lower and more animalistic with the change.

"You're an animal. Animals kill." Veruca said enticingly.

Oz turned his eyes back to Willow for a moment, he could feel the wolf inside him take pleasure at her fear for a moment, before he looked away from her again, turning his complete attention back to Veruca. "You're right." He agreed, before turning completely to face Veruca. "We kill."

Oz leapt at Veruca sending them slamming into the wall. Veruca growled and shoved him back sending them back across the room to slam against the lab table, before they fell to the ground struggling with the other. Willow scrambled backwards as she watched them wide eyed until her back hit the wall and she couldn't go any further. The change completely over took both Veruca and Oz and their snarls and growls rumbled throughout the room as they bit and scratched at each other viscously. Wolf Oz slammed wolf Veruca on to her back and rose up above her with a snarl. Without hesitating he lunged downward his sharp canines going for wolf Veruca's throat. Veruca's loud snarl turned in to a shriek of pain, a high pitched horrible death knell.

Wolf Oz opened his jaws when Veruca lay still on the lab floor. Sensing Willow's fear he looked up at her, Veruca's blood staining his teeth wetly. "Oz?" Willow said tearfully stretching out a hand towards him hopefully. The sound of her voice seemed to break whatever it was that had been holding wolf Oz in place as he bounded over Veruca's dead wolf body and raced towards her with animalistic snarls. Willow huddled up closer to the wall as Oz drew closer unable to move herself through her fear, but just before he could sink fang or claw into her, he is pulled away from her and Willow looks up to see Buffy dragging Oz away from her by his hind legs, her trank gun slung over her shoulder not having had the time to go for it when she'd entered the room to see Oz making his way over to Willow.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus moved to intercept the man in the military garb, only to pause and pull back as he stepped out onto a side street and began moving towards a car parked there. That wasn't what stopped him though, it was the fact that there were four more guys in the same garb all totting the same kind of weapon as the first, and all in military garb, though not the ski mask. The man he'd been following pulled off his mask and unlocked his car door and threw it inside, before slamming the door shut and walking over to his buddies. Angelus watched them with keen eyes. He didn't recognize a single one of them… but they did give him a bad feeling.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy let go of his hind legs when he was a good distance away from Willow and he whirled around to face her, he leapt at her, but Buffy judging her timing and the distance between herself and his claws, kicked him powerfully upside the head sending him soaring back to land on top of the small raised platform where the professor stood to deliver his or her lecture to the class. Not wasting anytime Buffy un-slung the trank gun from over her shoulder and in a smooth fluid motion had it in hand and aimed at Oz. As soon as she had it aimed she pulled the trigger the trank dart hitting him in the chest. Oz moved to attack her but stumbled from the dais and onto the floor of the lab and passed out cold. Buffy watched him for a second longer to make sure that he was truly out, before turning and rushing over to Willow to hold her. Willow clung to Buffy as she sobbed heartfeltly her eyes on the dead wolf version of Veruca, before her eyes went to the unconscious Oz. Neither of them spoke as Buffy offered as much silent comfort as Willow was willing to take.

Buffy held Willow as tightly as she safely could, not wanting to accidently crack or break any of Willow's bones by accident.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy stepped onto the Crawford St mansion estate her arms crossed over her chest as she walked a frown on her face as she tightened her arms around herself; hugging herself. Willow had wanted to be alone with her grief, it wasn't unusual. She'd gone through periods of wanting to be alone with her pain, and then wanting to be surrounded by others to try to help block it out. So obligingly she had left the dorm, and had began to aimlessly wander the streets, it hadn't been her intention to end up at Angelus' mansion, but she had. She supposed it shouldn't have surprised her, she was finding despite the nervousness she still felt at approaching him that she liked spending time with him. That she liked the attention he showed her these days. The more time she spent with him the more she began to allow herself to believe that maybe just maybe he wasn't going to turn around and crush her shakily mending heart.

Buffy headed towards the side entrance the curtain that used to cover it shoved to the side, had been since Angelus had procured the gem of Amara. Buffy sighed softly to herself the lingering doubts she had about Angelus didn't seem to matter as much to her anymore, her heart was more than willing to trust him and with each broken piece that time spent with him mended, the stronger the feeling became. Buffy stepped inside the mansion and walked through the small side room entering through the side door led her to, she walked through to the main room, only to find that Angelus wasn't there. Turning Buffy spotted a slight shadowy movement coming from the atrium. She walked towards it and smiled when she saw that he was sitting down on one of the stone benches out there. She knew it wasn't wise, hell it probably boarded on the incredibly stupid, but she found more and more of her trust and heart was finding its way into his keeping with every second they spent together. Very soon he'd own the whole thing all over again and have the ability to crush the tender and bruised organ with a single cruelly spoken word, but that possibility seemed almost impossible to her right now, as he looked up and smiled at her flashing his pearly white teeth. "Hey, I thought you'd be with the novice Wiccan."

Buffy shrugged a little as she moved towards him, coming to sit beside him on the bench. She felt the tug of her logical mind telling her that she should pull back, that it was folly to trust in him again so soon. That she should remember what happened last time she'd began to put her trust in him, but Buffy shoved the whispering voice aside determined to find the happiness she had been so long denied and could feel just on the tips of her fingers. She wanted to be able to grasp the feeling firmly with both hands and hold on tightly… there wasn't anything wrong with that, was there? Even if the man that was giving her that happiness was the worst demon ever recorded in history? "She's wants some alone time with her grief."

"Ah." Angelus murmured, before reaching out and affectionately touching a couple of strand of her hair that had fallen loose from the tie she had put it up in earlier. Buffy closed her eyes and smiled against his touch, even as a lone tear slipped from behind her closed eyes. Angelus wiped the tear away with his thumb, before cupping her cheek. "What is it?"

"It's just," Buffy opened her eyes and reached out and touched Angelus face gently, affectionately. She traced the arch of his eyebrow, before smoothing her fingers along the smooth slope of his cheek bone stroking his soft skin. "My life has been in a wrecked shambles for the longest time, and now my life is finally coming together and I'm reaching a point when I can safely say that I'm happy." Buffy shook her head gently. "And now Willow's life is falling apart. I mean I never thought Oz would… I don't understand it. Oz truly loves Willow, I know he does… I never thought something like this would happen. And now… I feel terrible because I'm boarding happy and Willow is…" Buffy trailed off hopelessly.

Angelus smiled a little smile pleased that now that the walls around her heart had been lowered things seemed to be progressing more swiftly then he'd dared hope. "It's not your fault, Buff." Angelus hesitated a moment as Buffy looked up at him. "It's no one's fault… not even Oz's. He couldn't help himself."

Buffy gave him a disbelieving look. "Of course he could have, he could have kept in his pants were Veruca was concerned." Buffy said in defence of Willow.

Angelus sighed and wondered how to explain it. "It was the first time he'd seen another werewolf, and this one was a female werewolf, and more than likely he was the first werewolf Veruca ever saw. Werewolves are primal, instinctual. And it would have been a heady thing for the both of them feeling and sensing the pull of another of their kind. And the pull would have been strong and very intense for the both of them, and more than a little sexual."

"You're saying that it was inevitable. That if it hadn't been Veruca it would have been another female werewolf?"

Angelus nodded. "The pull would have been like an insatiable need. They'd never met another being that called to them, to the primal part of themselves. I'm sure Oz didn't even realize that , that deeply primal place existed within himself whilst human until he met Veruca who'd accepted her wolf and had chosen to make it who she was."

Buffy remained silent for a long moment considering his words. She wasn't sure that she could fully understand, nothing in the world could get her to cheat in any way on Angelus, but then she didn't have to deal with being a demon. Finally Buffy shook her head. "Poor Wills." She murmured, before leaning against Angelus' side. "I love you." She said in a whispering sigh, not able to bring herself to say it loudly into the night. Not with Willow's pain so fresh in her mind. Angelus wrapped his arm around her in response having caught the whispered words, but other than that he didn't reply.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

The next morning Buffy sat across from Giles on his sofa in his condo. "I'm not sure I understand." Giles admitted after having listened to Buffy's explanation for her visit.

"There was so much going on with Oz and Will… there still is, but I thought you should know about this."

Giles put down the tea he had made for himself Buffy having declined any as per usual. "So this fellow in the woods… he was in military garb?"

Buffy nodded. "And he was totting some serious weaponry… thing is, I saw some other guys dressed exactly like him on Halloween night. I assumed they were in costume…"

"But maybe they were working?" Giles murmured his interest peaked.

"I'm not sure, but I wanna know what's up." Buffy frowned a little darkly. "Guy got in my way; I almost didn't catch up to Oz in time. As it is, I was too late to,"

"You saved Willow." Giles said in an attempt to reassure her.

"Right now, she wishes I hadn't…" Buffy murmured sadly. "I've never seen her like this before, Giles. It's like it hurts too much to even form words."

Giles nodded slightly. "But you've felt that way yourself and you got through it."

Buffy raised her eyebrows at Giles. "Well, I ran away, went to hell and then started to get through it. I'm kinda hoping Willow doesn't use me as a model." Buffy said, deciding to skip the part about coming back to face another years worth of hell, before starting to date the guy that had caused her all the pain to begin with, but the knowledge hung in the air between them all the same.

Giles nodded a little uncomfortably. "Fair enough."

"I just don't know how they're gonna deal with this." Buffy murmured worriedly, before lapsing into silence again. A silence which she broke a moment later as she stood. "I should go, I need to go check on Will, see if she's ready for a little company."

Giles nodded and Buffy turned and started to move for the front door. "Buffy." Giles called, his voice slightly strained. Buffy turned back to look at her father figure curiously. "I uh, I want you to know that…" Giles paused trying to find the words to express how he felt about her current relationship without being hurtful. "I want you to be happy." He finally said awkwardly, as much as he hated Angelus… he really did want Buffy to find happiness and if it happened to be with Angelus for now, well then he could put up with it.

Buffy smiled brightly. "Thank you." She said feelingly, before she turned once again and headed out the door.

Giles picked up his tea with a shaky hand, his fingers aching slightly suddenly. He wasn't sure how he was going to deal with Buffy's relationship with Angelus if it grew overly serious, but he knew that it was most definitely going to be hard on him no matter what way it went. Giles closed his eyes and forced himself to picture the moment in the mansion when Angelus had, had a very primitive Buffy sitting in his lap and the way his hands had held her so affectionately and were always making sure that Buffy didn't over balance herself. Then to the memory of the concerned look on Angelus' face as he'd watched the EMT look over Buffy after she'd saved Willow from the fire the Neanderthals had lit in the Grotto. Then to the way Buffy had affectionately nuzzled Angelus' hand as he'd stroked her hair. And to the way she had so boldly claimed him and protected him, before jumping up on Angelus' lap after they'd put down their weapons.

Giles sighed and took a large gulp of his tea silently pondering if he maybe wanted something a little stronger. But he remained where he was seated, as he took strength of will from the fact that as his suspicions that had started a long while ago now that the demon truly cared for Buffy on a deeper level, and the recent realization that Buffy too cared for Angelus on a deeper level. That Angelus as far as he could tell wouldn't do anything to harm Buffy, but he still wasn't confident yet… Angelus was an extremely good actor, and he hated the thought of Buffy getting hurt by him again. So he'd try to keep an eye on things until he was completely certain that Angelus was indeed sincere in his affections. No matter how much it hurt him to know that Angelus, his tormentor no longer had anything to fear for his unlife about. Giles flexed the fingers of his left hand as he felt the ach start in those ones, before he determinedly finished his tea and set his mind from the uncomfortable topic for now.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow nervously walked down the hall of the house Oz shared with his band. She was exhausted, not having managed to get any sleep last night after she'd asked Buffy for some alone time. Having not been up to any company, even company that was willing to sit in silence and just understandingly let you wallow in the misery and grief. She had just wanted the space. She'd left the windows open all last night to having felt that the room was too small and stuffy and having wanted the fresh air to cool her shaky grief heated body. Coming to a stop in front of Oz's bedroom door Willow hesitated a long moment, before knocking briefly, before opening the door and nervously poking her head around it to see if Oz was inside. "Hello?" Willow asked not seeing him.

Oz stepped out of his wardrobe an arm load full of clothes in his arms as he walked towards his bed and the mostly packed duffle bag he was taking with him. He looked over at Willow his expression even in his pained resolve. "Hi."

Willow stepped into the room as Oz shoved some of the clothes into the duffle and the sick knowledge of what was happening hit her, but she didn't want to believe what she was seeing. Like a masochist she had to hear him say it out loud. "What are you doing?" She asked shakily.

"I'm going." Oz murmured as he grabbed more of the clothes he'd brought out of the wardrobe into the bag

"Now?" Willow asked hurtly. Oz nodded without looking at her. "That's-that's your solution?"

"That's my decision." Oz said as he stuffed some more of the clothes in determined to not let his determination waver.

"Don't I get any say in this?" Willow asked a pleadingly, she didn't want him to leave. She'd held onto the hope that they could work this out! If he was just going to leave… what was she supposed to hold onto? There'd be nothing for her to work towards through all the pain in her heart.

"No." Oz said flatly with a small shake of his head. Oz turned to face her. "Veruca was right about something. The wolf its inside me all the time. And I don't where the line is anymore, between me and it. And until I figure out what that means, I shouldn't be around you… or anybody."

"Well, that could be a problem." Willow murmured trying to keep her voice steady, but not quite succeeding. "'Cause, people? Pretty much a planetary epidemic."

Oz turned back to the bed and grabbed the last of the clothes he'd taken from the wardrobe and stuffed them in the bag. "I'll find someplace."

"Well, how long?" Willow asked, thinking that if maybe he didn't plan on being away forever there was a chance that she could hold onto the hope of them working through this when he got back.

Oz shook his head. "I don't know." He zipped his bag shut and hefted it over his shoulder, before turning back to face her.

Willow looked at him with sad eyes, she could feel tears pricking painfully at the back of her eyes. "Oz… don't you love me?" She asked desperately, as the tears began to slowly slide down her cheeks.

"My whole life," Oz said earnestly. "I've never loved anything else."

Willow felt the tears sliding down cheeks coming faster and her lips quiver. Oz reached out to her and Willow didn't stop him. He kissed her forehead lovingly, before resting his forehead against hers for a long moment, reluctant to leave, even though he knew he had to go. "Oh God… Oz…" Willow cried as she felt her heart breaking further at the thought of losing him completely for an undetermined amount of time. Oz closed his eyes for a long moment, before opening them and kissing Willow's forehead one last time, before pulling away from her and hurrying out the door without a backward glance fearing that if he stayed a second longer he wouldn't be able to do it.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Oz walked out to his van and jumped into it, throwing his bag without really looking into the back not caring where it landed. He stuck the key into the ignition and turned it bringing the van to life. He hesitated his will weakening and he turned off the van and sat back against the seat his hands coming up to grasp the steering wheel tightly as he tried to decide what to do.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow stood in Oz's room unable to move as tears fell from her eyes and down her teeth, sobs escaping her. Sobs that racked through her body, and felt like they were tearing her apart.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Oz sat forward in his seat again, his hand finding the keys that were still in the ignition and turned it starting the van again. Pulling away from the side of the road Oz drove a small ways in straight line, before turning right blocking the house he'd left Willow in from view.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy entered her and Willow's dorm room and looked around to find it empty. She bit her lip worriedly, concerned about her friends safety in the catatonic state that grief that deep could cause. Buffy shut the dorm door behind her and moved over to her bed to sit down on it. She wouldn't go searching for Willow, she had a fair idea where she would have gone, and it was something that Willow would want to do alone no matter how it going. Buffy sighed despondently for her friend, she really had never wanted Willow to feel that kind of grief. But all she could really do now was hope that the two of them would work through it like they had before.

**A/N:** Ok well that's chapter 6. I hope you enjoyed the B/Aus bonding scenes that I added through this chapter. Please let me know what you think, your thoughts always help put a fire under my muse and she is a greedy little thing lol :)


	7. Chapter 7 the initiative

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of the characters mentioned in the cannon.

**A/N:** I AM SO SORRY ABOUT HOW LONG IT TOOK FOR THIS CHAPTER TO BE POSTED! Ok now that the necessary apology is out of the way. A big huge thank you, goes to everyone who read, reviewed and have waited so patiently for this chapter to come out! And seeing as it has been so long I'm gonna 'shh' now and let you all read.

**CHAPTER 7**

**The Initiative**

"So there's this party at uh, The Lowell house tonight." Buffy said in a feigned casual manner. She turned around so that she could face Willow who was curled up on her bed one of her cushions hugged to her chest, a sad look on her face, her eyes turning to look at Buffy. "I was thinking that it might be fun to go. Hang out… get the old endorphins pumping. Wadda-ya say?"

Willow looked down at her bedspread with a small frown, before looking back up at Buffy. "Is Angelus going to be there?"

Buffy felt her heart sink a little further at Willow's tone of voice. She knew that Angelus wasn't any of her friend's favourite person, but she had hoped rather naively she supposed, that her friends would be a little more accepting. She'd actually thought Willow was accepting it for a moment there, but then that could have been her imagination. The moment had been so brief. "Right, Angelus surrounded by horny, drinking college students, no thank you. I'd rather have fun at a party not make sure my hunny isn't snacking on my fellow party goers." Willow looked away from her again and Buffy felt her heart constrict for Willow, and she silently cursed herself for using the word 'hunny'. She was just so happy that her life was finally falling into place, that Angelus was her guy and that she was his girl. Buffy stepped towards Willow's bed and sat down on it beside Willow. "Besides I rather it just be a me and you thing, you know a girls night out where we party and forget that the world has troubles a plenty."

Willow looking back up at Buffy. "Do I have a choice?"

Buffy smiled. "Not really, no."

Willow sighed. "Well, ok then,"

Buffy stood with a beaming smile. "Great!"

"But I'm not promising that I'll have any fun." Willow added hastily.

"Partying with me, means fun is guaranteed to be had." Buffy claimed chirpily, determined that she'd show Willow a good time. Willow looked down at the cushion she was hugging to her chest, she knew what Buffy was trying to do, and a small part of her was grateful to her friend for caring, but the other part, just wanted to be left alone to wallow in her despair over Oz leaving her, and with hardly any hope that he would be coming back for her. Willow's heart constricted and she felt tears pool in her eyes for a moment, before they began falling from her eyes dropping down onto the cushion darkening it with her sorrow. Barely a moment later she felt a slender, but strong warm arm wrap around her shoulders, the arm wasn't as warm as Oz's who always seemed to have been running a little hotter than the average person, making her want to push the arm away, she wanted Oz to be holding her, but she didn't instead she curled into her best friends body and let herself cry, letting out some of her pain with each heart wrenching sob that racked her small body.

Buffy held Willow against her chest her hazel eyes filled with sorrow for her friend and guilt. Guilt over the fact that she was moving towards happy with Angelus, whilst her friend was in the midst of the worst kind of pain.A pain that Buffy had never wished any of her friends to know, and felt helpless. She couldn't fight and kick its ass, she couldn't do anything except be there, and try what she could to help cheer her up, even just a little. Knowing from experience that those little moments of happiness were a lifesaver when you were surrounded by the profound ach of a beaten and broken heart. It gave you something to hold onto, something that let you know that happiness was still out there somewhere, and just maybe you'd find it again. "Why!Why did he have to leave me?" Willow sobbed against Buffy's chest.

Buffy held Willow tighter, tears welling in her own eyes. "I'm sure that he didn't want to Will. I'm sure he thought that it was the only way." Buffy murmured sadly, a hand stroking over Willow's hair, trying to sooth her.

Willow shook her head, her shoulders quaking. "No! No, it wasn't, he could have stayed! I-I would have forgiven him. I-I have forgiven him! I just want him to come home." Willow sobbed.

Buffy nodded and held Willow tighter being careful not to hurt her. "I know you do, Will. And I'm sure that he wants to come back just as much. He loves you, Willow, and-and once he's found what he's looking for I'm sure that he'll come back." Willow gave her head a slow despairing shake, desperately wanting to believe that he would, that he'd come back and that everything would be ok, but he hadn't been able to tell her when. And she hadn't heard one peep from him since he'd left. Not one, not a phone call, not even a postcard! It made it difficult to believe that he was planning on coming back to her. If he was he'd let her know where he was, how he was doing, what he was doing, if he was getting anywhere with what he was looking for. Slowly Willow pulled back from Buffy sniffling, her eyes puffy and red, her eyes on the huge damp spot her tears had made on Buffy's clean shirt. "Sorry." She muttered despondently.

Buffy gave Willow a small smile. "Don't worry about it. It's what I'm here for." Buffy assured her as she stood from the bed. "I was seriously rethinking wearing this shirt anyway." Buffy pulled the shirt over her head and dropped it in her washing basket that was hidden in her wardrobe as she hunted for another shirt. Quickly choosing a new one she slid it over her head and came back out. "Ta-dah," Buffy said whilst holding out her arms. "See all fixed." She lowered her arms as she walked back over to Willow and she held a hand out to her. "Do you want to come down and get something to eat? Tummies ah-grumbling." She added in hopes of lightening the mood.

Willow shook her head. "No, thanks. I think I should take a shower and wash my hair and other essential pre-party preparations."

Buffy smiled taking it as a good sign. "Yeah, pamper yourself. I have to work things with, Giles for patrol tonight, but I'll be in the café for… I dunno an hour depending on the line, if you change your mind." Willow nodded, but didn't look at her. Buffy gave her a last sad look, before turning for the door and slowly making her way towards it, hoping that Willow would call after her with a change of heart. But the despondent red head didn't and Buffy opened the dormitory door and slowly stepped out of the room. Looking back at Willow once more she let out a soft sad sigh, before she shut the door leaving Willow alone as she obviously wanted to be at the moment. A flash of anger hit her, an anger that was directed towards Oz for handling things the way he did and was. It wasn't the first time she'd felt angry at Oz since this whole mess started, but it never lasted long, because she knew Oz was doing what he thought best, and was trying to find answers to some difficult questions, she just didn't think that it was the wisest thing to cut Willow out completely. Her best friend was devastated, more so than when she'd found out that Xander was seeing Cordelia behind her back.

Buffy straightened her shoulders and walked down the hall, heading towards the stairs that led down the levels of her dormitory building and outside.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Forrest looked out over his fellow co-eds, his dark eyes searching out every hot woman in the cafeteria, judging and assessing them. ", nubile, exciting, each one a mystery, waiting to be unlocked. Think any of them are gonna show? 'Cause the party will be lame if we lack for hotties." Forrest tore his eyes from the women he was scoping to glance over at Riley, when he didn't hear a response from his close friend. "Professor?You with me?" He asked slightly annoyed at seemingly being the only one worried about the party they were hosting tonight.

Riley frowned down in concentration at the large pile of papers he was bending over, his pen hovering as he tried not to lose what he had just read of the students work, not wanting to have to start from the beginning of the paper. "No. I'm with this large pile of ungraded papers, due at 3:00." He said exasperatedly.

"How are you ever gonna learn anything if you keep doing schoolwork?" Forrest asked, turning his gaze back out over the cafeteria, his eyes landing on a petite blond that had just stepped in front of the soda fountain. "Oh… Check her out. Is she hot, or is she hot?" Forrest said as he licked his lips.

Riley looked up and followed Forrest's gaze out of reluctant curiosity, his eyes landing on the petite blond his friend was looking at. "She's Buffy." Riley said distractedly as he turned his gaze back down to the paper he was desperately trying to grade.

Buffy unaware that anyone was looking at her let alone talking about her stood at the soda fountain her cup under the tap. Her mind still focused on Willow who was sequestered away in their dorm feeling miserable. She was so distracted by her concern for Willow she didn't notice her cup over flowing until the cold sticky liquid started to run down over her hand. Startled out of her thoughts, she glanced around embarrassed as she hurriedly turned off the tap and bent to sip some of the soda from the rim of the cup, before she placed it on her tray, hoping that no one had noticed.

Forrest smiled. "Buffy? I like that. That girl's so hot, she's buffy." He said, his eyes slowly looking Buffy up and down stripping the fashionable modest clothes from her small, slender body.

"It's her name, Forrest." Riley said, an irritated edge to his voice, but he didn't look up from the ungraded papers in front of him, a pile that didn't seem to be getting any smaller.

Forrest gave Riley a surprised, but approving look. "You've established first contact? Excellent. What do you think of her?"

Riley shrugged. "I haven't really thought about what I think of her."

Forrest gave him an incredulous look. "A girl that cute in the face, and you form no opinion?"

Riley sighed and looked up from the ungraded papers. "No, I mean, she's got a boyfriend."

Forrest turned his gaze back to Buffy. "Are you sure about that?"

Riley gave a small grimace. "Oh, yeah, I'm sure. He walked her to class one time, and full on pashed her in front of the entire psych class, in front of, Walsh and everything. It was like he was trying to stake his claim on her." Riley gave his head a small shake to dispel the image of the lusty possessive kiss Angelus had given Buffy.

"A boyfriend is only a small obstacle, and easily overcome." Forrest said confidently as his eyes went back to Buffy.

Buffy turned the handle of the frozen yogurt machine having forced herself to concentrate of the cup, not wanting to overflow her cup again, only for the handle to break off in her hand. She blinked at it, her hazel eyes wide with mortification as she looked at the broken handle in her hand. In a desperate attempt to reattach the handle, she glanced around to see if anyone was watching her noticing her unusual behaviour, as surely no normal freshman girl would be able to break the metal handle off the frozen yogurt machine. Tossing the handle beside the machine to dispose of the evidence of her accidental act of vandalism. Grabbing her now overflowing cup of frozen yogurt she hurried away from her scene of the crime, just as a male student walked over to the machine and noticed the flowing tap and lack of a handle to turn it off and he began looking for it, or anyway to stop the steady flow of frozen yogurt.

Forrest looked over at another male that had come up to their table. "Hey, Graham, what do you think of the blond chick?" He turned his gaze back to Buffy and Graham followed his friend's gaze. "Mattressable, n'est pas?Riley's not 't like her."

Riley looked up from his pile of ungraded paper, his brown eyes a little sharp in their regard of Forrest. "I don't dislike her." He corrected. "She seems nice enough… in a peculiar way…" Riley gave his head a small shake as he turned his eyes over in Buffy's direction as she now stood in the line at the register, ignoring the raised eyebrows of Forrest and Graham. "Besides she's a got a boyfriend."

"Yeah, the mysterious Mr. Possessive." Forrest murmured, his eyes continuing to watch Buffy as she made her way closer to the register as the line moved.

Graham raised a confused eyebrow, wondering what they were talking about. "His names, Angelus." Riley stated, drawing Forrest's gaze from Buffy.

"You even know her boyfriend's name." Forrest exclaimed, a teasing smile curling up his lips.

Riley shrugged his eyes still focused on Buffy, as she made it to the front of the line. "She introduced me to him."

"Right before he kissed her senseless I'm sure." Forrest snickered, glancing over at Graham and noticing his puzzled expression he enlightened his friend. "The blond's boyfriend mauled her possessively in front of Walsh's class. I would have given anything to see the look on Walsh's face." Forrest said with another snicker. Graham turned his own eyes to Buffy once again as she began to walk away from the register a distracted expression on her face as she walked, not feeling the need to join Forrest's amusement. Riley continued to watch Buffy as well, something about her making it hard for him to tear his eyes away to once again completely focus on the ungraded papers that he needed to finish on time if he didn't want his ears chewed off by Walsh.

There was a forlorn look on her face as she walked, and he frowned in concern wondering what the reason behind her upset was. There was something about her that made him want to see her smiling all the time, sadness just didn't seem to suit her, and he couldn't help, but wonder if it was her possessive boyfriend that was causing her the trouble. He saw her trip over her own feet and fall to the ground sending her tray of food to the floor her soda and yogurt splattering over the dirty cafeteria floor. Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye and he turned his gaze from Buffy to see Angelus, Buffy's boyfriend coming towards her. "Oh, and here's the boyfriend now." Riley muttered. Forrest and Graham turned their eyes to the man in front of Buffy.

"Well, she likes 'em tall and muscular." Forrest muttered, and Graham nodded. Riley gave his head a small shake and forced his eyes back down to the papers that needed his attention. Turning his mind from Buffy and her boyfriend, she wasn't his problem, and despite her good looks she wasn't someone he could see himself going out with, even if she didn't have a boyfriend, she… she never seemed like she was completely there when you talked to her, not something he found attractive.

But still she lurked in the back of his mind whilst he bent his head over the large pile ungraded papers that needed to be completely marked by three o'clock.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy sensed Angelus and looked up a flush reddening her cheeks, as he stood above her for a moment, before he squatted down in front of her and began helping her gather up the food stuffs that were still edible. "Thanks." Buffy mumbled as she clambered to her feet, holding the tray out slightly so that Angelus could put what he had collected onto the tray.

"You're welcome." Angelus murmured a small smile curling up his lips, not able to help finding her embarrassment cute. Looking over at the commotion over at the frozen yogurt machine. "You're not feeling unwell, are you?" He asked concerned. Buffy turned a questioning gaze up at him. Angelus looked behind her, and Buffy looked over her shoulder and saw the mess that the broken yogurt machine was making as more and more yogurt fell to the cafeteria floor.

"Oh, that." Buffy muttered her cheeks flushing hotter in her embarrassment. "I'm just a little distracted." She sighed, her shoulders slumping under the weight of her worry. "I'm just so worried. I've never seen, Wills like this." Buffy's voice lowered so that it was almost a whisper, her eyes downcast. "It's almost like I'm looking at the me from two years ago. I almost didn't survive the black gaping pit of despair I was trapped in."

Angelus forced himself to keep relaxed even as his heart constricted painfully in fear at the thought of his strong beautiful mate dying from the pain of the heartbreak he had caused her. Slowly raising one of his arms he stroked it down her cheek. "Never again." He vowed. Buffy smiled, her heart warming and beating a little faster. She wanted to say that she knew. That she trusted that this was real, for at this moment it felt very real, but she couldn't, not yet. She still had this nagging fear that it was all too good to be true after so long of having Angelus throw his hatred of her in her face at every chance he got. So all she did was smile, and hope that she wouldn't end up with her mending fragile heart shattered into a thousand pieces once again. She doubted that she had the strength, or desire to live through it again. "Let's find a table, shall we?" Buffy nodded, and they immediately began walking; Buffy glad to be leaving the mess her distraction had wrought over the UC Sunnydale Campus cafeteria. "Inside, or out?" Angelus asked as he walked beside her.

"Outside." Buffy said without hesitation, wanting to be out of sight of the mess she had caused.

From across the cafeteria Willow stood frozen in spot, ignoring the glare people threw her way as they had to squeeze past her to get in and out of the door she was standing in front of. Her own eyes glaring at Angelus as he walked beside Buffy as they headed towards another exit of the café. She'd come down deciding that some company would be nice after all, only to find that Buffy had taken off with Angelus, seeming to have completely forgotten about her. Willow's gaze slid over Buffy and her heart ached with a sharp raw pain as Buffy turned her head so that she could see her profile and even from this distance she could see the happiness in Buffy's expression as she looked up at Angelus. Willow frowned darkly, how could Buffy trust him again, how could she let everything the past go? He'd threatened them for years and killed their friends, their classmates! Why couldn't she tell that Angelus was just going to lead her towards more pain and suffering._'That's what demons did.'_ Willow thought bitterly. _'Even ones that were only demons some of the time.'_ Willow felt tears pricking at the backs of her eyes again, and she swiftly turned and began walking back the way she had come, no longer wishing for company, especially if it meant having to sit at a table with Angelus!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy couldn't supress the smile that curled up her lips, and she didn't want to as Angelus pulled out the chair for her. Setting her tray down, she carefully sat down, her smile brightening a little more as he pushed her chair in for her. With all this chivalry and charm it made it hard to believe that there was another side to him, but it was a side that haunted her. Buffy felt a cold chill run down her spineand she shivered despite the warmth of the Californian sun. Giving herself a mental shake she forced herself to turn her mind from the past. She was sick of being haunted by their past, she wanted to just be able to enjoy the present, but she doubted that that she would be able to do enjoy that luxury anytime soon.

Buffy plastered the smile back on her face as Angelus took the seat beside her, and slid it a little closer to her. Angelus returned her smile as warmly as he could, having sensed the cold shiver that had run through her, and he instinctually knew that it was from memories of their past. He slowly reached out and took her small warm hand in his own naturally cooler one, he'd lost count of how many times he'd wished that he could undo what he'd done, all mistakes he'd made regarding her. If he'd only been more open minded, the slowly closing chasm that was firmly separating them wouldn't be there, and she wouldn't look at him with distrust and even fear in her beautiful hazel eyes. Angelus raised her small hand, bring it up towards his lips where he kissed the back of it. His lips tenderly pressing against the back of her deceptively small knuckles. Buffy shivered again, but this time from the tingling warmth of desire his touch so easily aroused within her. "I've missed you." Angelus murmured as he lowered her hand back to the table, but didn't let it go, and Buffy made no attempt to slide her hand from his, instead she curled her fingers around his hand.

"I've missed you to." Buffy admitted,her eyes meeting Angelus' without hesitation, her apologetic hazel eyes meeting his warm brown ones, and she graced him with another smile. The terror the part of her that was still very much insecure about the truth of his affection for her, and his desire to be with her, felt. Quieting down under the warmth of his brown stare."It's just with, Willow… I've wanted to be there for her. It hasn't really left much time for anything else." Buffy murmured apologetically. She had missed him, more than she was willing to admit to him at the moment. She hated feeling so torn and insecure, but she couldn't help it. The past seemed to always be haunting her, ready to jump up and remind her just how much he could hurt her, and just how much he enjoyed doing it. But with each soft and kind word and loving gesture her, terror of waking up to find that everything had been an extremely cruel joke on his part lessened, and her heart was actually beginning to feel whole again…

Angelus' brow furrowed into a small frown as Buffy stared off into the distance and from the guarded expression on her face he just knew that she was thinking on the past, and he sighed quietly. Telling himself to have more patience, that all that was needed was more time and tender care on his part, but at this moment it seemed almost hopeless as Willow was demanding Buffy's attention, keeping her from spending time with him. "I'm sure you're doing everything you can." Angelus murmured, and Buffy turned her gaze back to him, her hazel eyes troubled as her thoughts turned once again to Willow, guilt hitting her once again. Why was it that when her life was verging dangerously on happy, Willow's life was spiralling down the long harsh road of despair. She wanted to talk about her happiness with Angelus and the terror that it continued to inspire in her. She wanted someone to confide in, but she couldn't. She remember how hard it was to see Willow with Oz and even Xander with Cordelia when her Angel was gone leaving only the demon the spurned her heart and took delight in crushing it into tinier and tinier pieces. She wouldn't put Willow through that, she was in enough pain. It wasn't as if it was essential for her to talk about it, she'd be able to work her way through it. Willow needed her support, not having to deal with the weight of her own pain and Buffy's.

Buffy nodded slowly. "I'm trying, but it hurts to see her like this, and nothing I've tried so far has seemed to do anything to help cheer her up." Buffy sighed, her shoulders slumping once again, and her eyes turned to her tray of salvaged food, and found that she no longer felt hungry. Gently pushing the food away from her she turned her gaze away from it. Her stomach feeling heavy with dread, but it wasn't for herself, it was for Willow and the pain she knew her best friend was in.

Angelus watched her with concern in his eyes, he didn't like the fact that she had just pushed away her food. If she wasn't eating it meant that she felt upset enough to lose her appetite. "You should really eat something." Angelus murmured coaxingly.

Buffy shook her head and turned her gaze back to Angelus and forced herself to give him a smile. "No, I'll be alright." Buffy sighed again. "I'm taking her to a frat party tonight, in the hopes that it'll help lift some of her misery at least for a little while."

Angelus frowned, not liking the idea of Buffy at a frat party. "Are you sure that's a good idea? You and frat parties seem to be one of the Buffy unmixy things." Angelus said, using her own terminology.

"Just because I've had a couple of… unfortunate things happen at frat parties doesn't…"

"You call almost being eaten by a giant lizard God and almost being drugged unfortunate events." Angelus grumbled.

"I'm going, Angelus. Willow needs some cheering up, and I'm determined to see it done." Buffy said firmly.

Angelus sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Am I invited?" He asked, wanting to be there to protect her on the off chance her frat party bad luck streak continued, and the more primal desire to show her off to all the hormonal college boys, letting each and every one of them know that she was off limits.

Buffy sunk her teeth gently into her lower lip, a part of her wanted to say 'yes'. Wanted to go out with him on a date, but this night was for Willow and if Angelus was there, she wouldn't be focused on making her friend feel better, besides a first date with Angelus probably better off being somewhere other than a frat party with a house full of alcohol and horny college students. She would want to be enjoying herself, not worrying if he was planning on snaking on one of her co-eds. "Sorry, but no. Tonight's just a me and, Willow thing." Buffy reached out and placed a small hand over one of his larger ones. "But I promise I'll be careful. Any sign of a giant lizard worshipping sect or an attempted drugging and me and, Wills are out of there."

Angelus chuckled, and turned his hand so that he could hold her small hand in his, his fingers stroking over her soft warm skin. "Alright then." Angelus agreed, already planning to be close by the frat house that was holding the party, he wasn't going to take any chances with his future mate's health. His eyes drifted to the scar that he had left on her neck and his hand tightened around hers. The only thing he wanted more than his Slayer's renewed faith in him was to mark her completely as his mate, to make the intended mark on the slender column of her neck complete and bind her to him, but he wouldn't be able to do that until he had completely gained her trust and heart. For he wouldn't allow himself to do it without her permission and for her to give that she had to be willing to bind herself to him. Angelus leaned in towards her and pressed an affectionate kiss to the side of her head. "Please try to eat something." He murmured, his breath blowing over her ear making her shiver in delight.

"Alright, just something small though." Buffy relented, knowing that he was right. She really should eat something.

Angelus rested his forehead against her soft hair for a moment, his eyes falling closed as he tried to will the sincerity of his intentions towards her into her mind. After finally discovering the truth of his feelings for Buffy, he was finding it hard to keep his patience after so long being without her at his side through his own stubborn misguided actions. But he needed to keep his patience, he couldn't rush her, it would make her think that there was a more sinister reason behind his hurry other than just wanting everything to be alright between them, as it should have been from the moment she'd freed him from beneath the shackles of his soul. After a long moment he leaned back, but still kept her hand in his, his fingers stroking over the soft warm skin of her hand as he watched his mate begin to pick at her food.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Spike lay on the white tiled floor of a small cubical that had equally white walls that's colour was heightened by the bright artificial lights. "Slayer…" Spike mumbled, licking his lips as he slowly drifted towards consciousness. "I'll kill you. Not so tough. I… Kill Slayer!" Spike's eyes snapped open and he stared around his surroundings. A frown pulling down his brow as he took in the white walls, that were so brightly lit that they hurt his sensitive eyes at first. Getting to his feet Spike paced the small cubical, thinking back on the moments just before he'd lost consciousness. He'd been looking down at The Slayer and Angelus as they'd talked probably some bloody sappy nonsense to help The Great Poof get in between The Slayers thighs, then he'd been hit by wracking pain that had in capacitated him long enough for them to drag him away and give him something that had sent him into unconsciousness.

Growling lowly in anger stalked towards the harmless looking glass that was keeping him trapped inside the small glaringly white cubical. As soon as his hands touched the glass a high voltage wave of electricity rolled over the glass. Spike cried out in pain and jumped back from the glass. He glared at the glass, before looking down at his throbbing hands, that were slightly swollen and red from the volts of electricity the small touch had shot through him. Looking back up at the glass a quizzical expression taking over his face as he sensed other demons close by… a lot of other demons. Stepping cautiously back towards the window, getting as close as he could without touching the high powered glass, his eyes widening as he took in the cubicles that he could see from his own, all of them had a demon in it. _'Where in the bleeding hell have I ended up?'_ Spike thought. _'Who in the hell would be capturing demons and putting them on they were bloody pets at the pound!'_ Spike thought feeling somewhat horrified, but his horror was nothing compared to his anger at having been so easily caught like these other wretches!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy walked down the street by herself, heading towards Giles condo. She'd enjoyed her second lunch with Angelus, despite the sombre and worrisome tenor of her thoughts. Angelus had made her feel cared for and special as he'd sat beside her watching her eat making sure to prod her into eating a bit more, and the way he'd been concerned for herin the cafeteria. Worried that she had been sick, or drugged with the serum that The Council had used last year. It had felt wonderful to hear and see the concern on his face for her. If only she didn't have the nagging suspicion that everything was some God awful ploy to see her broken and bleeding… at least on the inside. With each passing day she wanted more and more to be able to believe completely that he was telling the truth. That for once in her life everything would turn out the way she wanted, that her happiness would give way to despair once again. Buffy gave her head a shake and wrapped her arms around herself, trying to reassure herself.

Buffy sighed, a large part of her wished that Angelus hadn't managed to break through her shaky defences, but at the same time she was glad that he had, after all this was the first time in too long that she had felt like she was verging on happiness. Buffy sighed again, why did everything have to be so damn complicated! Everything seemed complicated at the moment, Angelus, Willow… poor Willow. She had hoped that Willow would change her mind and come out and join her, it was such a small thing, but keeping company with people that love you, could help the healing begin. Buffy turned a corner, her steps slowly and heavy as she thought on Willow, she wanted to make her pain go away, but it was physically impossible, and just being there for her friend seemed like it was too little a thing, but at the same time she knew that having a friend there for her could make the pain lessen even if it was only a little and for just a short while. But it was still hard knowing that all she could do for her friend was care.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles sat in a comfortable padded couch that was practically directly across from the one Xander was lounging in as he stared up at the ceiling a bored expression on his face as he waited for Giles to finish his drawing. Giles moved his pencil over the page a few more times, making a couple of lines darker, before he set the pencil down accepting that he had finished the drawing, and from the look of things it would be all that he would be doing. "Well, based on, Buffy's description, I believe the men that we're after look something like, um… like this." Giles said, holding up the drawing so that Xander who had turned his gaze from the ceiling the moment Giles had started talking.

"The latest in fall fascism." Xander said sarcastically. "I like it. A bit full in the hips for my taste, but…"

"Oh, I think we can safely assume they're human," Giles said cutting Xander off. "So, um, no research needed." He murmured as he slid his glasses off his nose.

Xander dropped his hand heavily onto his lap. "No studying? Damn! Next thing they'll tell me is I'll have to eat doughnuts or sleep with a super model to get things done around here. I ask you how much can one man give?" Xander asked, using his sarcastic whit to cover up the fact that he was feeling a tad bit disappointed.

Giles sighed. "Not much, I'm afraid. Um… Once again I'd say that you and I will not be needed to help, Buffy." He muttered, dropping the hand that was holding onto his glasses onto his lap where it thumped down against the drawing pad, he'd placed back in his lap after showing Xander.

"Really?" Xander asked, hoping that, the retired librarian was wrong.

Giles nodded glumly. "Really." He confirmed, with another disappointed sigh.

Xander sat forward in his chair, his eyes focused on Giles. "Well, how about this? We whip out the Ouija board, light a few candles, summon some ancient… unstoppable evil. Mayhem, mayhem, mayhem." He suggested as he moved his arms from side to side in time with his last words. "We show up and kick its ass." Xander finished with a small fist pump, just as Buffy opened the front door of the apartment and walked in drawing their attention as they glanced towards the door to see who it was.

Giles turned back to Xander, a small smile on his face, as he placed his glasses back on his nose. "A wee bit unethical." He said, not quiet wanting to believe that he was desperate enough to feel useful that he didn't flat out reject the idea.

"Hello, people." Buffy said as she came up behind them. "Hey," Buffy greeted again as she came to stand beside Giles. Giles eager to show that he had done something to help, held up the drawing pad for Buffy to see. "Mmm. It's my late night storm trooper pal."

"It's-It's just for reference, you know, but fairly accurate you'd say?" Giles asked hopefully as he looked from his carefully drawn sketch to Buffy who was still looking at the sketch.

Buffy nodded. "That's your man." She confirmed.

Giles lowered the sketch feeling quiet pleased with himself as he set the drawing pad back in his lap. "Your man, actually." Giles corrected as he looked back up at Buffy. Buffy gave him a look that made him pause. "Uh… you are patrolling tonight?" He asked a dubious tone in his voice.

"Nope." Buffy said firmly, confirming what her expression had told Giles mere seconds ago. "I am going to a party tonight. Hopefully, a 'no fighting, no biting' kind of deal."

"So, Angelus isn't invited then?" Xander said his voice somewhat scathing, and Buffy turned wounded eyes on him as her heartbeat uncomfortably in her chest. Xander shrunk in his chair a little, he hadn't meant for it to come out so harshly, he had made a promise to Willow after all, but it was Angelus! No one could blame him for loathing the vampire. The un-dead bastard had threatened his life more than once over the course of his rain of terror.

"No, he's not." Buffy said lowly, her arms coming up to cross themselves over her chest protectively as she moved away from Giles, walking a few steps away from them both, her gaze settling on the unjudging, unbiased coffee table that was situated between Giles and Xander. "It's just a Willow and I, kind of deal."

Giles glared over at Xander for a short moment as he straightened up in his chair once again, not really being able to blame the boy for his reservations were Angelus was concerned, but it didn't give him the right to make Buffy uncomfortable. Giles clear his throat and put a stern look on his face as he levelled his gaze back on Buffy. "Look, Buffy. Somebody's got to find out who these people are."

Buffy turned her hazel gaze from the safety of the coffee table to Giles her gaze unwavering and stubborn as she met his blue eyes. "Giles," She began firmly. "I live in a dorm now. The girls in my hall want to party, Willow needs some cheering up. I'm going to take her."

"How's, Will dealing…"

Buffy turned her gaze to Xander, her expression softening at seeing the concern there for Willow a concern that echoed her own. "With the black hole of despair she's been living in since, Oz left?" Buffy said cutting him off. "She's dealing. I'm helping. It's hard." Buffy said punctuating each reason with a look that went from Xander to Giles. "Ergo, party. You two can take patrol." Xander and Giles opened their mouths to object, but Buffy spoke over them. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find something slutty to wear tonight."

Buffy turned and walked back across the condo as Giles and Xander simply stared after her. She expected to hear them calling after listing reasons why they couldn't and why it was important that she didn't shirk her duty, but none came and as she stepped outside the condo into the late afternoon sun, shutting the solid wood door behind her, she paused and looked back over her shoulder at the door, where Giles and Xander were seated so comfortably. "That seemed a little too easy." She murmured, wondering why they hadn't put up more of a fight, before she shrugged it off and began walking away from the condo. She had more important things to worry about, like making sure both her and Willow were ready for tonight. She wasn't going to let her wallowing friend find an excuse not to go.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus moved silently through the dense wood area he, Buffy and Oz had chased Veruca through not that long ago, but that had nothing to do with the reason he was here now. He paused by the small clearing Buffy had had her run in with the military garbed man. Gazing around the empty clearing for a moment Angelus walked through it, following in the path the solider had taken as he'd run off after retrieving his weapon. He came to the same spot overlooking the road he'd seen the man meet the other soldiers and he stopped, his instincts telling him not to go any further, and if he had learnt anything lately it was to not argue with his instincts, not listening to them had landed him in enough mess for his liking. He scanned the area for any sign of the strange military garbed men, but his keen eyes came up empty, but the wooded area was still too quiet, not a single bird was nested in the trees and he couldn't hear the tell-tale rustling sounds of furry woodland creatures foraging for food.

It was like the forest was completely empty apart from him, something that made the fine hairs covering his body stand on end. It wasn't because he was alone, he was quite happy being on his own, it was the sheer unnaturalness of it. Something was happening around here on the UC Sunnydale Campus and it was far too close to his soon-to-be-mate for his liking. Scanning the area once again for any sign of the military men, he slowly turned away when he once again came up empty. Walking silently back through the trees intending to scour other parts of the densely wooded area, wanting to make sure that he wasn't missing anything, that might lead to the identity of the off base military men.

Another thing that had been bugging him for a little while now was the feeling that his Childe Spike was in town. He kept feeling him over his senses, but it wasn't like Spike to have not made his presence known by now. He wasn't patient enough to stay hidden this long, he'd want him and Buffy to know that he was there. Angelus glanced down at the hand that bore the Gem of Amara, he'd want the ring, and he'd want to get even with Buffy. Angelus frowned and growled lowly, the sound rippling through the otherwise silent forest as he continued to move with a silent sleek grace that only centuries of living could give. Spike could do his worst in an attempt to get the Gem, he'd be ready for him. There was no way his arrogant hot headed Childe would be able to get the Gem from him, but if he made a move on Buffy and managed to hurt her in the process, his Childe would rue the day he set foot in the small town of Sunnydale.

That was if Spike was truly here, which he was beginning to doubt. Spike wanted the Gem too much to play the waiting game. Unless he was finally beginning to grow some brains, but after so long it wasn't very likely.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Spike paced agitatedly back and forth across his small cell like cubical. He'd been awake for hours, and still his host hadn't made an appearance. He hadn't been given a damned clue as to why he was here, locked up instead of out getting revenge and his Gem back from his bloody whipped Sire. He'd make him pay, he'd make them both pay for ruining his plans, for stealing his Gem, the Gem he'd worked so hard to find! He looked up as he heard a strange noise and saw that a panel had opened up in the ceiling. A moment later a packet of blood was ejected from it and fell to the ground at his feet. Glaring down at it for a moment, rebelling against the idea of being fed like some prize pet, but he was starving, he felt like he hadn't eaten in days! And who knew just how long he'd been out of it for!

With an annoyed growl Spike bent down and swiped up the packet of human blood. Straightening he grasped it in two hands as he shifted his face into the hard ridges of the demon. The vampire in the cell next to him, that was still wearing the black t-shirt with the white skull on the chest, that he had been on the day he had been captured as he had run from The Slayer, had heard the tell-tale signs of a packet of blood being dropped in his neighbour's cell. "Don't drink it." He warned making Spike pause, his mouth open around the edge of the flimsy plastic packaging he'd been about to sink his fangs into. "It's drugged." The vamp explained, as he looked out of his cell as he stood as close as he dared to the glass keeping a look out for their captors, fear evident in his harassed amber eyes.

Spike took the packet out of his mouth his tongue running along his dry mouth, before throwing the packet back down to the white floor. "Uh-huh. And who are you, mate?"

"I'm a rat. I'm a lab rat, just like the others." The vampire said nervously. "They're gonna kill us, you know."

"And how are they gonna do that?" Spike asked irritated as he began to pace back and forth across his cell once again. There was no way that these cowardly bastards were going to get him without a hell of a fight. He'd tear them to shreds first, they'd all soon learn that he wasn't your average vampire!

"They starve you." The vamp explained. "And then, when you're ready to bite your own arm, they shoot out one of those packets. You drink, and the next thing, you're gone. And that's when they do the experiments." He said nervously, his tongue flicking anxiously over his lips, as his gaze darted across what he could see of the hall, not trusting his senses with all the demons that were held contained in the tiny cells. Cells that seemed to get smaller and smaller to him with each passing hour.

"And, uh, they are?" Spike asked as he continued to pace back and forth, his steps getting angrier and angrier. "The Government?Nazis?A major cosmetics company?" Spike asked his voice getting more sarcastic as ideas as to what these demon snatching freaks could be into, popped into his head.

The vampire shrugged and looked at the wall that led to the vamps cell that he was talking to, for a brief moment, before he went back to his surveillance of what he could see of the corridor. "Who cares? All I know is, one minute I'm running from The Slayer, and the next thing, I'm here."

Spike paused in his pacing, the mention of The Slayer, making his anger rise up inside him to extreme levels. "The Slayer!" He yelled, throwing his hands up into the air, before he began pacing again, this time in a much tighter circle, his every step filled with his boiling rage. "I knew it! I knew it!" He snarled.

The vampire nodded, his eyes still scanning. "Yeah, she took apart my crew, and led me straight to these guys." He embellished, wanting to sound like he had been more than just a minion to the young Master vampire Sunday.

Spike snarled and stalked angrily towards the glass. "She set me up, too. I always worried what would happen when that bitch got some funding!" Spike slammed his hands briefly against the glass wall making the glass rattle slightly as the electric charge flared to life in response. "She's wised up a bit." He shouted up at the ceiling. "Fine! I'll take her apart. I don't care how brilliant she is, or who's she's got in her corner!"

Spike slammed his hands against the glass again, the electricity buzzing against his hands for a short moment, before he jerked them away and stepped back from the glass, and began his pacing all over again, needing an outlet for the anger that was surging through him, making it impossible for him to sit still. In the cell next to his the vampire that had warned him about the drugged blood, stared over at Spike's cell, his amber eyes wide with fear, not at all pleased with the words he had just heard. Sure, The Slayer bitting the dust would be a welcomed thing, but he had seen what she could do first hand, and he never wanted to be faced with her fury again. The vampire in the cell next to his had to be some kind of crazy, as from the way he talked it was like he knew her, had gone up against her before, so why would he want to do it again? But then if he had survived maybe he was strong enough to put an end to her. The vampire turned his eyes back out the hall, scanning once again for signs of their captors approaching to take one of them away for their horrific experiments.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy sat in her seat next to Willow in Professor Walsh's class, a frown darkening her brow as she fought with her ballpoint pen that had begun to seep ink a few moments ago, whilst she was in the middle of taking notes. "Stupid pen." She muttered as she looked at her ink stained fingers, before she looked down at her notes alarmed. "My notes!" She muttered, her eyes on the page that was stained with blue splotches of ink that were obscuring the words that she had written.

"Ballpoints can be tricky." Willow offered sympathetically, as she watched Buffy wipe her inky fingers on the already ruined notes in the hopes of removing some of the still wet ink from her stained fingers.

"I'll see you all tomorrow." Walsh told the class, before turning away from them to face the desk she had been standing in front of, to begin collecting her papers.

Buffy and Willow stood collecting their things. Buffy glared at the ballpoint pen that had ruined her notes, before setting it down on the desk, determined to get a new one, one that wouldn't leak its ink all over her painstakingly taken notes! Willow who had hastily grabbed up her things and descended the stairs ahead of Buffy her eyes on Riley, wanting to rectify the mistake Riley had made as quickly as possible. "Riley?" Willow called as she came up to his turned back, her voice making him turn around to face her. "I noticed you left off a name today in roll call. Osbourne, Daniel Osbourne, Oz?" She said a little timidly, her heart thumping harshly in her chest as she waited for his response.

"He's not in this class anymore." Riley said as he placed some papers into his bag, that was slung over his shoulder. "I hear he dropped out."

Willow felt tears well in her eyes, and her expression turned almost desperate in her distress. "Oh, well, you heard way wrong then. I mean, he's not gone. He-he left temporarily to work out a few things. I know that sounds lame in its vagueness, but I assure you, Oz will be back." She assured Riley as she fisted her hands around her own bag strap, twisting them in her anxiety.

Walsh who had been listening in to the conversation as she packed her briefcase walked over to them, her expression stern, and unyielding. "Not to my class, he won't." She said. "An educated guess." She said with exasperation. "You know the rules, you know I hate exceptions, and yet somehow you feel you exception is exceptional." She stated as she crossed her arms intimidatingly across her chest.

"Oh, but…" Willow said her heart racing faster in her chest as she felt the tears pricking hotter against the backs of her eyes.

"It is." Walsh continued cutting Willow off, as Buffy stood by the bottom of the stairs, waiting anger simmering inside her with each word that left Walsh's mouth. "To you. But since I'm neither a freshman nor a narcissist, I have to consider the whole class. If your friend can't respect my schedule, I think its best he not come back."

Willow's breath hitched painfully in her throat, as her lower lip quivered, her heart clenching painfully in her chest and Willow quickly ducked her head hiding her miserable expression as she walked towards the door.

Buffy followed Willow's miserable trudging with concerned hazel eyes, before turning her gaze to Professor Walsh, and the concern fled to be replaced with her anger that was simmering below the surface. With slow determined steps she walked towards Walsh who was about to turn back towards her desk to finish packing her briefcase. "You know," Buffy said in a controlled low voice. "For someone who teaches human behaviour, you might try showing some." She muttered, unable to keep the edge of her anger out of her voice.

Walsh turned back around to face Buffy, her expression somewhat surprised, not used to her students talking back to her. "It's not my job to coddle my students." She told Buffy.

Buffy took a step closer to her. "You're right." Buffy said sarcasm mingling with the anger in her tone, not at all intimidated by Walsh's stern expression, or the arms that were crossed over her chest. "A human being in pain has nothing to do with your job." Buffy said with a glare that had made many a demon hesitate in attacking her. Buffy swivelled on her heal and stalked off after Willow, her steps picking up speed as she felt an urgency to catch up to her distraught friend.

Walsh turned away so that she was facing her desk, and walked back over to the briefcase that she had left on the smooth, varnished wooden surface. "I like her." She observed with a small smile as she began filing the remaining papers on her desk into the briefcase that she had once again opened.

Riley looked over at Walsh in surprise not having expected to hear that at all. "Really? You don't think that she's a little peculiar?" He asked.

Walsh turned towards him as she lifted her briefcase from the desk. "She's got spunk." She said simply before walking out of the office. Riley stood for a moment, shocked and surprised that he had asked the question, he had no real interest in the petite blond with the possessive boyfriend. Riley gave his head shake and pulled himself together, before he walked after Walsh turning his thoughts from Buffy.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy stopped as in her hurry she'd gone passed Willow who was leaning up against a wall that she was turned towards. Buffy cautiously approached her red headed friend. "Hey, are you alright?" Buffy asked worriedly, and winced at the stupidness of the question. Of course she wasn't alright! But what else could she say?

"I'm fine." Willow said her voice soaked in her misery and her voice cracked, as she tried to hold back the sobs that were making her body tremble. "It just makes it seem more final, you know. Oz's name not being called for roll he's really not coming back." Willow cried as her tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she stared at the unfeeling pant of the wall. "Which is just stupid. He'll come back if he wants to come back, he's name on the class roll or not." She said miserably.

Buffy stared at Willow sympathetically, as she stepped closer and placed a hand on Willow's upper back. Almost immediately Willow turned into Buffy, her hands clutching at her as she cried into her shoulder. Buffy slide her arms around Willow's back and rubbed her hands in soothing circles. "He wants to come back, Wills. He does." Buffy promised, even though she knew that it probably wasn't the wisest thing to say. The best thing she knew was to try to move on, but she knew how hard that idea was to swallow at first, and after that, just how hard it was toi implement, when your heart was still traitorously beating for someone else. She heard and felt Willow's tears ease and after another moment, she felt Willow's face shift slightly against her shoulder. "Do you still want to go to the party?" Buffy asked, not wanting to drag Willow out after the emotional roller coaster she had just been in. They could just as easily have a girl's night in.

Willow pulled back bitting her lower lip. "Not really, but I think we should go." Willow said dubiously.

Buffy smiled thrilled and excited about Willow's decision, as it could only be taken as a step forward, even if they only stayed for half an hour. "Great. It'll be fun." Buffy assured her friend.

Willow nodded glumly, her eyes resting on the large wet dark tear stain on the shoulder of Buffy's shirt. "You're gonna have to change your shirt again." She muttered.

Buffy looked at her tear stained shoulder, before shrugging. "I have to change it anyway." She said, before they began slowly walking, making their way towards their dormitory.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander stood in the dank basement that he called his apartment. "Here we go. Gear for tonight." He said to Giles who stood a little ways behind him, having watched Xander as he'd tipped the array of weaponry out onto the table he was standing in front of, as he struggled with the gun in his hands. Xander frowned down at the uncooperative gun as he tried to slip the chamber easily free as he knew it was supposed to."If some commando squads are out there, fully loaded, these babies might give us the edge we'll need."

"That's a very impressive array." Giles observed as he moved up behind Xander to take a better look at the weapons that had been haphazardly tipped out over the table. "Where'd it all come from?"

"Uh," Xander said as his face twisted with effort as he continued to try to pop the chamber of the gun. "Requisitioned it. Back when I was military guy."

"That was two years ago." Giles said, his voice muffled as he spoke through a small mouthful of food, he had just popped into his mouth, not having been able to say 'no' as Xander's mother had so kindly offered him a biscuit. "You still one hundred percent?" He asked curiously.

"Are you kidding?" Xander said with a cocky expression as he continued his struggle, determined to get the stiff chamber to open. "I put the semper in semper fi. I might not be able to assemble an m-16 blindfolded like I used to, or pass weapons drill from the mobile infantry…" Giles reached out and took the gun from Xander's hands, tired of seeing him struggle with the gun. And with a deft movement flipped open the catch whilst he flicked his tongue around his mouth getting tiny bits of biscuit that had gotten caught between his lip and his upper gums. Xander immediately deflated, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Might as well face it. Right now, I don't have the technical skills to join the Swiss army. And all those guys ask you to do is uncork a couple of sassy cabernets." He muttered sarcastically.

"Well, I'm sure you'll be ready when the time comes." Giles said encouragingly, as he began picking through the weapons, looking for the flares that would slot into the chamber of the flare gun.

Xander nodded. "Oh, fear not. Hand to hand. I'm still the man. Whoever these guys trained with, I'm sure they're not ready to deal with…"

"Xander!" Xander's mother called from the top of the stairs, unwittingly cutting her son off.

Xander looked over at the stairs. "Yes, mom!" He called back.

"I made up a nice fruit punch for you and your friend. Would you boys like some?" Xander's mom asked, making Xander swallow nervously, the last thing he wanted was for Giles to bear witness to one of his parents embarrassing episodes.

Giles looked up at the stairs, his expression somewhat hopeful as he took a small step towards the stairs. "Is it, uh, raspberry fruit punch?" He asked hopefully, making Xander's expression crumble unnoticed beside him as he waited for his mother's answer.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Riley stood in a hall of Lorrell house, Forrest leaning against a wall, whilst Graham stood across from Riley as he threw a Frisbee back and forth between them. "So she says," Riley said as he continued to recount the encounter between Buffy and Walsh to his two closest friends. "'You teach human behaviour. Maybe you ought to show some.'"

Forrest barely held back a laugh, his expression shocked, and somewhat impressed. "Oh, you're lying. She said that, to Walsh?"

"Hope to die." Riley said, as he caught the Frisbee and glanced over at Forrest, before throwing the Frisbee back to Graham.

"Doesn't lack for guts. You've got to give her that." Forrest murmured as he wished that he had been a fly on the wall during that small confrontation. If only to see the look on Walsh's face.

"Yeah." Riley agreed. "But she's nuts." He muttered.

Forrest moved closer to Riley. "Oh, come one. Like you never wanted to tell the Professor off." Forrest stated, and Riley grudgingly nodded his head, as he caught the Frisbee and threw it back to Graham. Without realizing it Riley began to smile as he thought of how admirable it was that Buffy had done it in response to her friend's pain. It was clear that she was loyal to her friends, and protective of them. Qualities that he admired in a person. On either side of him Forrest and Graham exchanged knowing looks, before moving over to Riley who was lost in his thoughts on the petite blond.

Graham waved a hand in front of Riley's face, making him blink, and his eyes focus on them the smile fading. "Earth to Riley. Riley come in." Forrest said tauntingly, a friendly teasing mocking smile curling up his lips, as Riley looked from Graham to Forrest. "So, how was the land of Buffy? Was it worth a repeat trip? If it is, I might take a trip their myself, and if she's a bunny I might just have to see if she's as good in reality. That boyfriend of hers can't be too hard to outmanoeuvre…"

Forrest was cut off from his speech as one of Riley's hands that had fisted in anger as Forrest got further and further into his vulgar speech about the small blond, flew at Forrest's face, before Riley could give it much thought at all. His fist connected harshly with the side of Forrest's face, and Forrest fell to the ground with a hard thud as he hadn't been expecting the blow. Forrest glared up at the hard breathing Riley who was glaring down at Forrest with an equal anger shining out of his eyes. With an angry shout Forrest scrambled to his feet and charged at Riley, tackling him about the waist, sending them both to the ground, with Forrest on top of his friend. Forrest landed two solid consecutive blows to Riley's left eye. Before strong arms wrapped around his waist and threw him off of Riley.

Riley and Forrest quickly scrambled to their feet and moved to go at each other again, only for a hand to press into each of their chests, forcing them to come to a halt, bringing their attention to the fact that Graham was standing between them. "Get out of the way man." Forrest said, his eyes going back to Riley, who had already gone back to glaring at him.

Graham shook his head and held his ground, his eyes focusing on Forrest. "No, man." He said firmly, and Forrest pushed against his hand as he made to move towards Riley again, but Graham pushed him back. "What were you thinking man? Spouting off like that about the Buffy chick. You were practically asking for a beat down." Graham said, making both Forrest and Riley's eyes turn to them as their breathing began to calm along with their tempers.

Riley blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?" He asked. He hadn't even realized that he was going to do it until he was in the middle of it, his anger pumping through his veins. He hadn't thought that he was prone to violence outside of the mission. "I don't know why I did it."

Forrest shook his head a small smile curving up his lips. "Come on man, you can't tell me that you're that oblivious."

Riley's brow furrowed slightly as he thought about it, trying to put the pieces together. "I guess… I just didn't like you talking about Buffy like that." He said slowly, a wondrous expression appearing over his face. "I guess. I guess I like her." Riley murmured.

"You're kind of like a moron." Forrest said, his expression kind.

"So, you…" Riley gave Forrest and Graham confused looks, the wondrous expression still ruling his face as he soaked in the knowledge that he actually really like the strange petite blond known as Buffy. "You knew that I had feelings for her."

Forrest free from Graham's restraining hand, Graham having dropped his arms once he'd sensed the danger of his two friends beating each other senseless had passed. Stepped over to Riley and clamped him on the shoulder. "Everybody knows, man. Jealous of the boyfriend, and oh, she's peculiar? Dead giveaway, buddy."

"I never said that I was jealous of her boyfriend." Riley said defensively.

Graham shook his head. "You didn't have to. It was all over your face when you were watching them together in the cafeteria earlier today."

Forrest nodded. "You pretty much turned green with envy." He said, unable to help taunting his friend. Riley hit him gently upside the head.

"I'm always the last to know." Riley murmured with a small smile.

Forrest smirked in return. "The only question now is, do you like her enough to try and steal her away from her boyfriend?" Riley turned his gaze away from his two friends as he thought. "So, whatchagonna do?" Forrest asked a short moment later.

Riley turned his gaze back to his friends a wide smile curling up his lips. "Well, I guess I'm gonna go see a girl." Riley told them as he began to walk backwards for a couple of steps, before he turned around completely to walk towards the front door that led from the frat house.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Spike lay on the floor of his cell, his eyes closed as he watched patiently, the packet that had once held the drugged blood lying empty beside him. A tiny bit of it staining his lips, from when he'd had to rip the packet open. Two men in white lab coats swiped the key card through the slot that opened the glass door to Spike's cell. Walking into the cell confidently, they walked over to him, one coming to stand by his head, the other by his feet. They picked him up non to gently, and Spike forced back a growl at the rough treatment, wanting to be safely out of the cell before he sprang his trap, wanting to be certain of his escape. The two orderly's set him down on the gurney, releasing him completely as they reached for the straps that would tie him down for their safety. Spike seizing his moment opened his eyes, startling the orderly that was leaning over him, before he could release the breath he had drawn in when he'd gasped Spike reached up and grabbed him by the throat, a smug expression on his face. "Sorry, can't stay. Got to go see a girl." He said matter of factly, as the man looked down at him with fear clear in his face.

Spike thrust the lab tech away from him, before jumping up off the gurney. The second orderly rushed him a syringe filled with a powerful sedative in one of his hands. Spike grabbed him by the arm that held the syringe. Smirking down at him as the orderly stared up at him terrified for a moment, before he used the hold he had on his arm to flip him up in the air, to slam forcefully on the gurney that he had been lying on moments before, the force of the impact so strong that the man rolled off the gurney just from the momentum, and the gurney fell with him crashing to the floor with a loud clatter. Spike followed him with a low hungry growl, wanting to taste fresh blood that was straight from the vein, hot and surging with life. The first orderly rushed up behind him and grabbed him, slamming Spike up against the glass of the vamp that had warned Spike about the blood. "Let me out!" The vampire demanded, pleading entering his voice. He couldn't believe that it was actually happening. That Spike's crazy plan was working.

Spike gave him an annoyed look. The vampire was really beginning to annoy him. "Bit busy right now." He growled.

"Look, I know where the exit is." The vampire declared, knowing that that would force the older vampire to let him out. "You spring me, you're free. You don't, you're dead." Spike growled in annoyance, and pushed away from the glass, throwing the orderly off him with a fast movement, into his companion who was holding the syringe up as he waited for an opportunity to stick the syringe into the peroxide blond vampire. The orderly jumped in surprise as his companion slammed into him and he stabbed the needle into his neck, pushing in the plunger as he did so. Pulling the needle out just as quickly as he slammed it in, he looked alarmed as his partner fell to the floor unconscious, leaving him to deal with the angry free vampire on his own without any juice to knock him out.

The orderly looked up from his unconscious companion and gulped to see the hard ridges of the demon, and the gleaming hungry amber eyes. Spike smiled loving the smell of his fear, quickly closing the distance between them he grabbed the orderly and flips him harshly down onto the floor knocking the wind out of him, making him cough. "Hurry!Hurry!" The vampire urged in a panicked voice as the security alarm began to sound loudly through the hall. Making angry red and amber lights flash. Spike snarled, and ran over to the orderly that was still lying on the floor groaning from the fall he had taken from the gurney. Hurriedly going through the orderly's pockets, knowing that he didn't have long until more like him came to contain the situation the sirens where alerting the building to. Finding the security card that he had used to open his door. He jump over the gurney and stepped quickly over to the vampire. Sliding it through the key card slot, the vampire jumped out of his cell, before the door could even fully open.

He looked down the hall to see a group of orderly's and army types running down the hall towards them he swallowed. "This way!" He said, and both he and Spike took off down the hall in the opposite direction. They made their way to a closing security door, and they picked up the pace to make it under the quickly closing door, making it into the next room to see army men coming out of an elevator.

Spike quickly assessed the situation as the army men quickly moved towards them, their specialized guns in their hands. New plan!" Spike growled. "We split up." The vampire nodded listening intently as he stared at the men fearfully, not wanting to be locked up and at their mercy again, in no way suspecting that he was about to be betrayed by the peroxide vampire. "You go that way." Spike shoved the vampire he had busted free into the army men. The army men grabbed the vampire and quickly became preoccupied with containing the struggling HST.

Spike fled through the halls, moving as fast as starved body would allow. He felt a little sluggish, but it was something that he planned to remedy as soon as he got out of this Slayer organized hell hole.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow leaned against the headboard of her bed, hugging her cushion to her chest a soft melancholic tune playing from her stereo. She stared blankly ahead of her, her thoughts full of Oz. The good times and bad, and all the what if's that she couldn't seem to stop from revelling about in her brain. What she and Oz might be doing together now, if he was still here. Would he be taking her to this party, and would she be looking forward to it more if he was? And if she'd done something different, handled things better, something, anything that he wouldn't have left her. That he wouldn't have felt the need to leave. Had it partly been her fault? Willow dabbed at her eyes and sighed, wishing that Buffy was here with her, but also glad that she was a class. So that she could mope in peace.

There was a gentle knock on the door and Willow focused her eyes on it. She wiped at them, to get rid of any tears that were clinging to her lashes. "Come in." She called quietly, half hoping that they wouldn't hear her and go away, but the door opened and Riley poked his head in the door. "Oh, Riley. Hi." Willow greeted surprised as Riley opened the door fully and stepped inside the dorm she shared with Buffy. Closing it softly behind him.

"Hi." Riley greeted. "Gee, I hope I'm not interrupting anything really depressing." He commented, as he looked curiously around the room that Buffy called home.

Willow reached out pressed stop on her CD player, before rewrapping it around the cushion. "What's up?" Willow asked curiously, not having expected her psych TA to be making dorm visitations.

Riley swallowed nervously as looked at Willow, coming here suddenly didn't seem like such a good idea. It seemed kind of stalker-ish to him… it wasn't as if Buffy or Willow had told him where their dorm room was. His nervousness showed clearly on his face and Willow dully wondered what he was nervous about as she patiently waited for him to say something. "Nothing really… I-I was just hoping that Buffy was here." Riley said as his gaze skittered around the room, taking both Buffy's and Willow's things.

Willow frowned slightly. "Well, she's not here." She murmured stating the obvious, already wishing that she was once again alone with her misery.

"I know." Riley assured Willow. "But I was also kinda hoping that I could talk to you?"

Willow who's eyes had gone to the floor, widened slightly in alarm as she saw Buffy's open bag of weapons on the floor, by her bed.

"What-What about?" Willow asked as she popped aside her cushion and got up off the bed, and side stepped in what she hoped was a casual manner over to Buffy's bed and began trying to subtly nudge the open bag under the bed with her foot, only for some of the weapons to catch on the low beam of the bed.

"Well, I know that she has a boyfriend." Riley said anxiously, as he fought the urge to wring his hands together. Willow's eyes narrowed at the mention of Angelus and she nodded stiffly. "I just…" Riley notices her efforts to slide the bag under the bed. "Here, let me help you with that." Riley offered, wanting the time to think about what he was going to say to try and convince her to give him some dirt on what the relationship was like between Buffy and her boyfriend Angelus, as well as trying to earn some brownie points by helping out. Without taking much notice of the bag, his thoughts into much inner turmoil as he feverishly tried to work out what he was going to say to the red head that was watching with anxious eyes. He slid the bag easily under the bed, and stood up whilst dusting off his hands in a habitual gesture. "I was just kind of hoping that you would tell me something about their relationship." Willow frowned at his words as she as slowly walked the short distance over to her bed and sat back down on it. Riley sat on the edge of Buffy's bed so that he was sitting directly across from Willow, slouching forward his arms resting across his thighs as his hands dangled down between his legs, the tips of his fingers touching each other."Or maybe even if you just told me whether or not I stand a chance."

Willow picked up her cushion and hugged it to her chest again. "Ok, say that I tell you what you want to know. And you manage to woo Buffy's affections away from her 'boyfriend'. And feelings grow deeper, and one day without even realizing it, you find that you're in love. Time stops and it feels like the whole world is made for you two, and you two alone, until one day one of you leaves and rips the still-beating heart from the other. Who's now a broken, hollow mockery of the human condition." Willow said, projecting her own hurt feelings into the situation, her hands tightly clenched around the cushion she was hugging to her chest. "What then?"

Riley looking as put out as he felt at Willow's words. "I'm not planning on the happening." He offered hopefully.

"No one really plans it. But it still happens." Willow muttered as she hugged her pillow tightly to her chest.

Riley let out a disappointed sigh, but wasn't ready to give up just yet. "Look, if you want to tell me to go to hell, that's ok. Maybe this is the last thing you want to talk about. I just feel that well, I've never courted anyone like Buffy before." Riley smiled. "I don't think I've met anyone like Buffy before."

"Why should I trust you?" Willow asked, a stubborn tilt to her chin.

Riley shrugged and gave her a hopeful look. "I was just kind of hoping you'd think I have an honest face."

Willow shrugged feeling unimpressed. "I've seen honest faces before. They usually come attached to liars."

"All right." Riley said disappointedly. "I guess I'm not gonna win here. And I appreciate you wanting to protect your friend." Riley stood up, a sheepish look crossing his face. "I guess uh, she kind of brings that out in people." He murmured as he thought of the way he had slugged Forrest for just talking about her so crudely.

Riley turned towards the door and began walking towards the door. "Their relationship isn't good." Willow said, making Riley pause in his retreat and turn back around to face her, a hopeful look on his face. "He hurt her pretty bad, and their only just beginning to reconcile." Willow said disapprovingly, as Riley came and sat on her bed beside her.

"So, I have a chance then?"

"I'm not saying that you have anything." Willow said, giving him a withering look. "I'm just saying that it's not perfect." She said flatly as she continued to hug her pillow. She couldn't quite believe that she was doing this, but at the same time she felt that it was right. Buffy deserved to have someone better than Angelus. Better than a demon. She deserved a normal straight laced guy that could give her a real shot at happiness. And she had a feeling that Riley was just the guy for it.

Riley felt his chances rising with each word that came out of Willow's mouth and he looked at her eagerly. "Tell me something else. Something about her… something that'll help me begin a conversation."

Willow gave him a look, before shrugging a little. "She likes cheese." She said, and shrugged at his disheartened look. "I'm not saying that it's the key to her heart, but she likes cheese." Willow thought for a moment, thinking of other harmless stuff to tell him, general things that the people around her knew. "She has a stuffed piggy named Mr. Gordo, loves ice capades without the irony, and she dragging me to this party tonight at Lowell house."

"Oh, you're going?" Riley asked, suddenly feeling more excited about the party than ever. "That's my house. I live there."

"She's not bringing, Angelus… that's her 'boyfriend'. She's says that it's a cheer up 'me' thing." Willow muttered dubiously.

"It sounds like you think it's a not going to work." Riley commented softly.

Willow shrugged. "I make no promises." She muttered, she then gave him a stern look. "Just don't get fresh."

"Fresh?" Riley said genuinely. "I don't even know if we'll take to each other yet. I'm just hoping that she'll like me."

Willow nodded. "Well, even so, don't even think about it." Willow said firmly, and nodded for emphasis.

Riley held up one of his hands and held up a couple of fingers. "Scouts honour." He assured Willow who nodded once again. Completely believing that she was doing the right thing, by giving Buffy the opportunity to fall in love with a better guy then Angelus.

Riley glanced over at Willow again hopefully. "Hey, does she ever talk about me? Like, has she ever said…"

Willow shook her head. "Sorry."

"Not even…" Riley began again.

Willow shook her again. "Sorry."

"That's discouraging." Riley murmured. "But still," He began with a smile. "I feel like I have a fighting chance with my new accomplice."

Willow stiffened and glared at him. "I'm not your accomplice. I may not like Angelus, but then… I'm not much with the liking of men at the moment."

"So, I'm beginning to notice." Riley murmured.

"I'm not!" Willow repeated.

"No, no. Of course not." Riley reassured her, holding up his hands in a gesture of submissive surrender.

"So, we're clear." Willow stated, as she eyed him.

"We're clear." Riley assured her. And Willow nodded in satisfaction, before turning her eyes from him and sitting a little uncomfortably beside Riley as she waited for him to leave. And when he didn't she shifted uncomfortably and cleared her throat. "Um, Buffy should be back from her class any minute."

Immediately Riley jumped up from beside her on the bed his expression nervous. "Uh, right. I suppose I shouldn't be here. It-it would look weird wouldn't it? So, uh I should probably go." Willow nodded her agreement. "But uh, I will see you and Buffy tonight." Willow nodded again. "Uh, any idea what time you'll get there." Willow shrugged, and opened her mouth to give a vague non-committal answer, but Riley cut her off. "Right, of course you don't know. But, uh I'll keep an eye out for Buffy, uh, and you, of course." Riley not wanting to embarrass himself anymore with his babbling took a couple of steps backwards. "I'll see you soon."

"Uh-huh." Willow said dully as she watched Riley turn tale and march quickly for the door, obviously very much not wanting to be caught by Buffy, when he was snooping about her.

Willow sighed and flopped back against her bed, accidentally hitting her head against her headboard. "Ow." She muttered, before reaching over blinding to her stereo and feeling at the buttons, pressing them until she managed to hit the play button making the melancholic music fill her dorm once again.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Harmony walked over to a section of a wall in the underground level of the crypt that she had overtaken completely since Spike had disappeared after taking the stupid Gem of Amara right off her finger. She held a poster of a white unicorn with a vivid bright rainbow in the background daintily between her slender fingers. She bopped her head to the teeny-bob techno that she had playing from her stereo system. Behind her Spike staggered into the room with a soft tired groan. Sensing him and hearing his groan, Harmony whirled around, a bright huge smile lighting up her face. "Spike?" She took an exuberated step towards him. "Spike, is that really you?"

Spike walked up to her a smile curling up his own lips. "It's me, baby." He assured her. "Your man is," Harmony's smile disappeared as she slapped, having suddenly remembered that she was angry at him. "Back." Spike finished a hand going up to his stinging cheek, an annoyed expression crossing his face. After what he'd just been through a slap was not something he felt like dealing with.

"Bastard." Harmony cried, her expression truly hurt as she stared at him with round wounded eyes. "You dumped me and staked me and hurt me and left me…"

"I know, sugar." Spike interrupted, not really interested in listening to Harmony rattle off the gazillion reasons why she hated him at this particular moment in time. "But you're forgetting one other thing that I did." He murmured, placing a vulnerable, open caring expression on his face. "I missed you."

Harmony's expression softened as she looked at him hopefully, her eyes full of love. "Really?" Spike raised his arms in a gesture that said 'well, I'm here aren't I'. "Ooh." Harmony exclaimed. "Just don't do ever do that to me again." She told him as she smiled up at him, before practically jumping in his arms, her arms closing around him in a tight ferrous hug. Determined to show him that she really did forgive him, and that she loved him dearly.

"Oh, never, my little foam latte." Spike said as he extracted himself from her embrace. "Your blondie bear is here to stay."

"Well, where have you been?" She asked, as she intersected her hands. Swivelling to follow Spike with him as he walked over to a table where his weapons where sitting piled on top of each other, and picked up a double bladed battle axe. Looking it over consideringly for a moment, he swung it through the air experimentally testing the feel of it whilst imagining using it as he went up against The Slayer. "Wait," Harmony said changing her mind, her hands coming up in front of her as if to stop the torrent of words that Spike hadn't even begun to form yet. "Don't tell me. I'm just glad you're back. And this time, it's for good, right?" She asked a little anxiously as she twisted her hands together again, as she watched Spike toss aside the battle axe.

Spike glanced over at her for a brief moment, before his eyes went back to his weapons. "Oh, forever and ever, mon petite crème brulee." He said distractedly as his eyes caught on an exceptionally long sharp dagger. Picking it up he looked it over, made a vicious stabbing motion with it, before shaking his head and tossed it alongside the discarded battle axe.

"Ooh. Italian." Harmony crooned excitedly, as she felt her knees go weak at Spike's supposed romance.

Spike glanced over his shoulder at for a second an incredulous look on his face, before he gave it a small shake and turned back to his weapoms. "Uh, yeah," He said, not bothering to correct her, he didn't care what language she thought he was speaking as long as it kept her from annoying him with her incessant whining. "And get used to it. Big daddy's home, and we're gonna go wherever you want, do whatever you want," Spike picked up a long wicked looking sword that had a bladed hook on the end of it. "Kill whoever you want." Harmony's happy expression began to dampen. "Starting with, The Slayer." Spike muttered as he ran his hand up the blade he was holding. Spike tossed the weapon aside with an aggravated frown. "And after that, it's all you and me, my little mentholated pack of smokes." He said as he began patting his pockets searching for the pack of smokes and lighter that he remembered having before his incarceration at The Slayer's pen-house of fun.

Harmony's expression turned irritated, she was sick of The Slayer! And in all honesty she was a little jealous of all the time Spike put into thinking about The Slayer. Walking over to Spike with sultry steps, and placed a delicate hand gently on his shoulder, her fingers stroking over the leather of his jacket. "Spikey. Let's leave, The Slayer alone." She grabbed the lapels of his old leather jacket turning him to face her instead of his array of vicious weapons that she had piled there to be gotten rid of. There's no way that she wanted those ugly things cluttering up their crypt. "You know that she'll only slap you around," Harmony smiled up at him seductively. "And I can do that." She purred as she raised her free hand to his head and placing it on the back of his head.

"Ow!" Spike yelped in surprise at the pain that shot through his head. "Uh, no, see, ow." Spike growled as Harmony curled her fingers into his hair and tugged playfully. "The head, love. Watch the head." Spike urged, as he tried to pull away, he his urge to kill, The Slayer overriding any lustful urgings that Harmony might stir inside. "Whoa, watch it!" Spike yelped as Harmony jumped him sending them both tumbling to the ground, and he hit his head firmly against the ground, forcing a pained cry from his lips, that Harmony in her excitement of having her blondie bear back with her mistook as a cry of excitement.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"Every man faces this moment." Xander said to Giles as they walked together through a patch of woods on the UC Sunnydale campus, both figuring that they'd have more luck spotting some of the commando's on the campus where they had been spotted last. "Here. .Waiting." Xander continued, and Giles fought the urge to take off his glasses and rub his eyes in exasperation. "Waiting for an unseen enemy that has no endings screaming in silence. Never knowing which thought might be your last."

"Oh, shut up." Giles said finally breaking his silence, no longer being able to hold his silence in the face of Xander increasingly annoying monologue.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy walked up the stairs to the Lowell house Willow beside her. She hesitated on the steps for a moment, a very familiar presence tingling over her senses, making her scan the night, half hopeful to catch a glimpse of him in amongst the darkness. "What is it?" Willow asked from beside her, having noticed Buffy's delay, and had joined her friend in searching the night for anything that went bump in the night.

Buffy feeling slightly disappointed that she hadn't seen him lurking in the darkness. "It's nothing." Buffy told Willow as she turned her gaze to her red head friend, and began walking up the stairs again, deciding that it was probably better that he wasn't actually here, as then she would more than likely be worried about the sincerity of his motives of coming when she had expressly told him not to.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus stepped forward once again when Buffy began walking back up the stairs to the frat house with Willow at her side. His brown eyes roving over Buffy taking in the small amounts of tanned golden flash that she was revealing, a frown creasing his brow at the thought of all the college boys that were going to get to admire her golden flesh whilst he was out here, in the back ground just in case something went wrong. Which he was starting to hope that something would happen that would require him coming in and saving her. Not only would it give him opportunity to be with her, it would also earn him more of her fragile trust, and bring him closer to having the honour of calling her his mate officially. Angelus turned his eyes from the frat house as he felt Spike tingle over his senses again much more strongly than it had been over the past few days. Angelus frowned into the darkness, wishing that he could know for certain if his Childe was nearby. He had checked out a few places that he believed Spike would be most likely to bunk down in whilst in Sunnydale, but had come up empty. He had found the Crypt Harmony was staying in, but hadn't gone to the underground part to deal with her. The girl had a knack for giving him a headache within a few moments. He had no idea how his Childe was able to put up with her, but then Spike had never been on the bright side. He'd probably picked her up for a little slap and tickle and had forgotten to give her the flick and now she cemented to his side.

Angelus swept his gaze over treed area he was standing in, but again came up empty. Turning his gaze back up to the stairs he saw Buffy and Willow standing at the top of them obviously staring in at the party. Tearing his gaze away from his mate with difficulty, he moved silently through the trees, feeling compelled to do a quick sweep of the area surrounding the frat house. He didn't want to take the chance of Spike slipping past him if he was around and managing to hurt Buffy, because Childe or not he would kill him if he raised a hand against his mate.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"Looks cool." Buffy commented as she surveyed the party, her eyes going over the crowds of people doing different things. Standing and talking, standing and drinking, sitting and drinking, and those that were dancing.

"Uh-huh." Willow said dully as she looked over the same crowds of people, her arms wrapped protectively over her chest. No matter how hard she tried she just really couldn't get all the excited about being here.

Buffy hearing the dull tone, turned her concerned gaze to Willow. "Look, we could go." She offered, pointing her thumb over her shoulder, back the way they had come.

"No-no." Willow said, trying to assure Buffy. She really didn't want her friend worrying about her more than she already was, and besides if she wanted Riley to have his chance of at least talking to Buffy, she had to go in… at least for a little while. "We're here for fun."

They stepped through the door and into the house, they paused at a landing, that led down two small steps and looked over the crowds once again. "Oh, look. Some of the guys are here already." Buffy stated.

Willow nodded as her eyes landed on Riley standing by a pillar a drink in his hand as he stood by himself. Willow returned her gaze to Buffy. "I'm gonna go grab a soda. I'll-I'll find you guys." Willow stuttered, never having been very good at lying, and she already knew that she wouldn't be joining Buffy and some of the other girls from their dorm that were already here. She didn't feel up to pretending to be 'alright' in front of lots of people.

"Ok." Buffy said as she stepped down the steps and walked over to where people where dancing, making her way over to the girls on their floor that were dancing.

Willow watched Buffy go for a short moment, wanting to be certain that she didn't get caught. Knowing that Buffy would probably take it the wrong way, what with her muddled wrong feelings for Angelus, but if things worked out with Riley, Willow was positive that Buffy would thank her in the long run. Willow made her way over to where Riley was standing. She leaned on the pillar Riley was standing in front of, staring out into the party. "Ok," She began drawing Riley's attention to her. "She's wearing a halter top with sensible shoes. That means mostly dancing, light contact, but don't push your luck. Heavy conversation's out of the question." Willow stated firmly.

Riley swallowed thickly, feeling nervous now that the time to actually confront Buffy and actually spend time with her had finally arrived, dimming the excitement that he had been feeling since he had left Willow in her room. "So, what do I do?"

Willow gave him a 'duh' look. "Ask her to dance." She said incredulously.

Riley nodded his eyes going to where Buffy stood on the designated dance floor her small feminine body already moving to the beat of the music that was blasting from the amplified speakers they had procured from a local band especially for the occasion. "." Riley tore his gaze from Buffy to look anxiously down at Willow from his slightly raised position. "Wait. No."

Willow reluctantly turned to face him. "What's the matter?"

Riley looked at her sheepishly, glancing over at Buffy again for a moment to see that she was still on the dance floor, making him wish that he could dance without making a complete and utter fool of himself. He tore his eyes from Buffy to look at Willow once again. "I can't dance."

"Then talk." Willow said. "Keep eye contact. Funny is good, but don't be glib. And remember, if you win her and hurt her, I will be you to death with a shovel." She said seriously. "A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend." She said in response to his surprised look. "Have fun." She said as she gave him an awkward pat on the shoulder.

Riley nodded more to himself for encouragement then to Willow, before began walking over to Buffy who was now standing in front of the nibbles table. He'd never tried to woo a woman away from her boyfriend, before and he found the idea rather daunting, much more so than when he courted a single woman. It just seemed so forbidden, but Buffy was unlike any woman he had ever met before, and he didn't want to miss a chance with her, if there was one to be had. Riley paused in his stride as someone was dancing in his way. Touching them gently on the back he smiled at them politely, as they looked up at him. "Excuse me." He murmured and they shifted slightly, clearing his path to Buffy, and he stepped towards her, stopping only when he'd managed to squeeze in beside her. "Hi." He greeted, drawing Buffy's attention.

Buffy smiled up at him politely. "Hi." She said returning the greeting, before she turned away again thinking that that was all he'd wanted was to be polite.

"Um… Buffy…" Riley said awkwardly, Buffy turned back to him and stared up at him silently wondering what he could possibly have to say to her. They'd never really talked outside of class, before except for when she'd literally bumped into him in the Grotto, before it had literally burnt down. Riley paused, completely at a loss for what to say now that he had was standing beside her. He was highly aware of her staring up at him with her bright hazel eyes as she waited for him to continue. Buffy raised her eyebrows as she continued to look up at him politely, trying to silently urge him to continue. "Uh," Riley floundered helplessly. "You do the reading on chapter 9?"

Buffy's eyebrows rose further up her forehead in her surprise. "Uh-huh." _'Why would he want to talk about school work at a party?'_ She thought incredulously.

"Wow. Some theories, huh?" Riley commented, as he mentally winced at his lame choice of topic, but he'd been desperate for something to say after he'd succeeded in gaining her attention. Seeing the weird look she was giving him, he swallowed and desperately looked around for something else to say. Something that didn't make him sound like a dork. Looking down his eyes landed on a platter, that had cubes of cheese that were stabbed with a wooden tooth pick. Picking one up he turned his gaze back to her and held it up to her. "Cheese cube?" He suggested, hoping that Buffy might save him from himself just start talking to him.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus came to a stop as he settled back into the part of the trees that gave him an excellent view of the front door of Lowell house, having just finished a thorough search of the surrounding area, and not sensing any panic or fear coming from the house, he deduced that nothing had happened whilst he'd been patrolling the area for his rebellious Childe. Leaning against a nearby tree, his arms crossed over his chest Angelus stared up at the house, wishing that he was in there beside his mate, staking his claim on his petite blond.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander walked through the trees alone now, Giles having said that they could cover more ground if they split up, and although that was true. It had been his annoyance at Xander's nonstop babbling that had prompted the decision. Xander reached an opening in the trees and he was about to step into the small clearing only to pause as something sailed through the air and landed on an ever growing pile quickly followed by a carelessly thrown CD. A moment later Harmony walked over to the pile a can of gas clutched in her hand a frown darkening her brow as she screwed open the lid and tipped it over as she poured it liberally over the pile she had thrown together, emptying it she threw it away, the empty bottle bouncing off the grass once before rolling over to a standstill.

Xander stepped into the clearing as Harmony wiped at her eyes and sniffled miserably as she started digging around in her pockets for the matches she had pocketed on her way out of the underground level of the crypt. "Harmony." He said surprised.

Harmony turned around to face him just as surprised as he was. "Xander?" She grumbled, not at all happy at being interrupted and she began walking towards him.

She'd barely gotten a couple of steps closer to him when Xander held up his free hand in a stop gesture. "That's close enough." He told her a suspicious wary expression on his face as he eyed her. Harmony stopped at his command an annoyed look on her face as she was quickly reminded why she had never really liked the guy in high school. "I'm warning you." Xander continued as he raised his hand that was grasping his stake. "I've been highly trained to put this through your heart." He waved the stake around in front of them, hoping that the moves looked as at ease wielding the stake as he was trying to make out. "No mercy, no warning."

Harmony rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I can kill you where you stand."

Xander motioned her to come at him. "Bring it on, then." He said confident that he could take Harmony of all the vampires in Sunnydale. Harmony took a quick step towards him and slapped him, making Xander's head turn with the force of it. "Ow!" He said, his free hand clutching the abused side of his face. Xander kicked her in the shin with the toe of his boot.

Harmony hopped on one leg, rubbing at the spot Xander's boot had made contact and she glared at him. "Ow! You sissy kicker!" She whined as she straightened up and slapped on the arm in retaliation.

Xander looked down at the arm she had slapped for a moment before looking up at her challengingly, and he started moving in a slow menacing circle which Harmony echoed. Xander raised his hands and moved to strike her, Harmony raised her own arms and they began an awkward dance with their arms as they tried to hit at each other and dodge the others arms at the same time. Harmony grabbed a fistful of Xander's hair and in retaliation Xander grabbed hers. They struggled like that for a moment both of them leaning towards the ground as they tried to lessen the pain against their scalp that came from having someone determinedly tugging at ones hair. "Get away!" Xander cried as he winced as Harmony tugged a little harder on his hair. "Aah! Cut it out!"

"Ow!" Harmony whined as Xander jerked his hand in her hair. "I'm so gonna bite you!" She growled.

"Ow..." Xander cried again as Harmony tugged on his hair again in her anger. "Ok, stop, stop! We should stop, ok?"

Harmony attempted to nod her head. "Ok, I will if you will." She agreed.

"On the count of three." Xander said with another wince.

"Uh-huh." Harmony agreed again.

"1...2...3!" Xander counted and on the three the both of them unclenched their fists releasing the hair that they had been pulling and stepped back from each other.

"Right, ok." Harmony said as she breathed a little heavily as she calmed herself down her hands going to her hair pressing the long blond strands back into place.

Xander bent down and picked up the stake that he had dropped, before straightening his spine. He gave her a small embarrassed smile. "Harmony, it's been great catching up. Really, I'm just gonna pick up the tattered shreds of my dignity and go home... leaving you with your fire." He said gesturing to the as of yet unlit pile of stuff Harmony had poured gas all over. Xander took a step back preparing to be on his way determined to forget the whole thing happened.

Harmony looked over at the pile of what she considered junk. "My fire?" She said incredulously. "Yeah, right." She picked up the CD and glared down at the title. "Like I listen to the sex ." She dropped it back down onto the pile. "This crap belongs to, Spike."

Xander stopped his backward movement. "Spike?" He inquired, seeking more information as alarm bells went off in his head.

Harmony huffed and turned away from him as she walked back towards the pile, her hands once again digging around in her pockets for the little box of matches. "Can you believe him?" She sniffled as she pulled the match box out of her pocket. "He comes back with all these big promises, not that I believed him, you know." She took out a match struck it against the side of the box only for it not to work. "But he could have spent one night, but, no. Everything was 'Slayer this' and 'Slayer that.' I'm not taking him back, I just..." She struck the match against the side of the box again this time succeeding in getting the red tip of the match to light. "I just want to know why it is that men always..." Harmony paused as she turned back around to face where Xander was standing only find him gone and she stomped her foot looking annoyed and a little hurt. "Leave." She finished as she looked around for him for a moment, before she rolled her eyes a small frown darkening her brow. She threw the lit match behind her, the small stick landing on the pile of Spike's things immediately sending the pile up in flames. Her senses picked up the roaring fire so without a backward glance at the burning pile she stomped off, muttering profanities about men as she went.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Riley and Willow sat beside each other on a couch that had a great vantage point to watch the dance floor both of their eyes were on Buffy as she danced oblivious to the eyes on her as she moved enjoying the moment. The both of them had dull looks on their faces. "I can't believe it, I choked." Riley muttered as he continued to watch Buffy wishing that he had the courage to go up to her again and just start dancing... but he'd really, really meant it when he'd said that he couldn't.

Willow nodded her agreement, Riley having relayed to her what had happened after he had retreated in defeat after the 'cheese cube' debacle. "You really, really did."

"You don't understand. I'm good at things. That's what I do. Work hard, apply myself, get it done." Riley said punctuating each point with a small gesture of his hand.

"Well, you failed extremely well." Willow offered, her gaze glancing over at him.

Riley met her gaze and took a deep breath. "That's a great comfort to me." He said sarcastically, his gaze going back to Buffy as a guy began dancing beside her, and it was only a very small comfort to him that she completely ignored the guy.

"You need to relax." Willow advised. "I mean, you're not proposing. You're just making contact, getting a reaction. Any reaction is ok, except projectile vomiting." Willow conceded. "But what are the chances of that..." Willow trailed off a stricken depressed look darkening her face as a familiar song from 'Dingoes Ate My Baby' played from the CD.

Riley noticed and turned more towards her. "Are you ok?" He asked genuinely concerned.

"This song..." Willow sniffled with a hopeless shrug.

"Oh, yeah, it's a tape of some bands from last year's party. Associations?" Riley asked.

"Big." Willow muttered.

"Bad?" Riley asked, and Willow nodded in conformation. Riley turned his gaze to where the sound system was set up, his eyes landing on one of his not so close friends. "A.J!" He called making him look over at him. Riley made a cutting motion across his neck with his hand and A.J nodded is understanding and swiftly pressed the skip button, changing the song, making a murmur of disappointment go through the crowd.

"Thank you." Willow said gratefully, believing now more than ever that Riley was better for her blond haired friend than Angelus... Angelus would have never done anything so kind! "Now go find, Buffy." She encouraged.

"There's no hurry." Riley assured her. "I mean if you want to talk." He offered.

"No, I..." Willow stuttered as she contemplated it for a moment, before firmly deciding against it. "I want you to go find, Buffy and tell her that I went home and not to worry about me." Willow shrugged and gave him a poor excuse for a smile. "Which will at least give you something to say."

"Thanks." Riley said grateful to have something prepared to say to the petite blond that seemed to be able to effortlessly still his wits right out from under him, but also concerned for the red head, her bravado doing nothing to hide the pain she was feeling.

"You'll do fine." Willow encouraged as she got up and without a backward glance she walked away from the couch heading in the general direction of the door.

Riley watched her go for a moment, until she disappeared into the crowd, before he took a fortifying breath, before he clambered to his feet and began his search for Buffy amongst the din of party goers.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus watched Willow walked down the steps of the frat house, her arms crossed over her chest her expression miserable as she trudged down the stone, before she came to the ground. He smiled as she began making her way down the path beginning the journey back to the dorm room she shared with her mate. Without a second thought Angelus stepped from where he stood in the trees and almost literally bounded up the steps and smiled at a pretty drunk brunette girl as he came to a stop in front of the house as the protective barrier prevented his entrance. The girl giggled drunkenly as she slowly looked him over from head to toe, and Angelus forced back his irritation at being forced to wait any longer, he'd been getting bored as hell out in amongst the trees, whilst also getting anxious at the idea of all the college boys that would be drinking and eyeing off his mate.

The girl finished her perusal of his well built impeccably clothed form and she smiled up at him. "Don't just stand there, hunny. Your late, so come on in, you'll miss all the good parts otherwise." She said slurrishly, another giggle erupting from her.

Angelus felt the barrier preventing his entrance disappear and his smile widened to flash teeth as he stepped inside the doorway. "I'm sure your right." He murmured as the girl looked up at him, her lips parting, puckering for a kiss, but Angelus merely swept by her, he'd gotten what he wanted from the girl, he had no more use for her and he wanted to get to Buffy. Manoeuvring his way through the crowd, following his senses to find her in the large house. The scents of sweat, alcohol, and raging hormones filling his nose making him want to huff the potent mixture out of his sensitive nostrils. He spotted her standing by a wall talking to a boy that looked to be the same age as his girl. His eyes narrowed on them reading their body language, taking in the way the boy was leaning towards her, trying to get closer whilst Buffy looked up at him with a polite friendly smile as she replied.

Her body language changed a moment later though as she began covertly glancing around, searching, and he knew that she had sensed his presence. He smiled as her conversation faltered as she stopped concentrating on it, leaving the boy to fend for himself. Angelus smiled glad that he had that effect on towards her, his eyes on her, her hazel eyes landed on him in amongst the college students and her eyes narrowed, but she couldn't keep the smile off her face as she made her excuses to the boy she had been talking to and began making her way towards him. Meeting him halfway, he came to a stop in front of her. Buffy didn't stop though; instead she took a firm grasp of his arm and began tugging him towards another corner of the room. "What? No kiss?" Angelus asked playfully as he allowed her to lead him without any trouble towards another corner of the room.

Riley who'd finally spotted Buffy talking to one of her classmates frowned as she moved off to join her boyfriend who had made a sudden and in his opinion unwelcome appearance. And he swore that Willow told him that it was just supposed to be a her and Buffy thing tonight!

"I thought I told you that tonight is a girl only thing." Buffy whispered furiously as she whirled around to face him, her hazel eyes glaring up at him.

"Relax, Buff. I saw the little Wiccan leave. She'll never know that I was here." Angelus assured her with a sexy half smile.

Buffy swallowed as a pleasurable shiver ran down her spine, at his smile, but she forced herself to turn away from her gaze going towards the door that Willow and herself had come through. "Really?" She murmured worriedly, before another meaning behind his words managed to turn her mind from her depressed friend and slowly she turned back to face Angelus, her hazel eyes wide and hopeful. "Wait... does that mean, that you were watching the house? That you were worried about me?"

Angelus flicked his gaze away from her momentarily and he shrugged, before he turned his gaze back to her. "I'm allowed to be. You always seem to find trouble at these things."

Buffy smiled up at him widely, her heart swelling happily in her chest, before she stepped into him and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him and slowly Angelus put his arms around her in return. It was a little thing she knew, to have Angelus admit that he was worried for her safety, he'd shown it a few times since he'd begun trying to convince her that he wanted to be with her, but it was nice to hear him say it, and it helped to ease some of the uncertainty she still felt about everything.

Angelus looked down at her blond head and a genuine smile curled up his lips as she pressed her warm soft body against his harder one and he could scent her warm joy at just the knowledge that he'd been worried about her. Angelus was about to dip down to kiss the top of her head, but Buffy tilted her head back a wide smile curling up her lips, flashing her pearly whites up at him, and her arms shifted from around his waist, before one of her small warm hands curled into his. "Come on." Buffy urged as she began walking backwards a couple of steps her hand beginning to tug on his.

"Come on, where?" Angelus asked as he reluctantly let her lead him a couple of steps, a bad feeling settling in him.

"To the dance floor." Buffy said a slight 'duh' tone to her voice. "You came to have fun, right. And the funnest place is the dance floor."

"I'd say the funnest place is a private bedroom." Angelus said a teasing, lusty tone in his voice.

Buffy stiffened and swallowed thickly, before she slowly turned back around to look up at him. "Angelus, I…" She began, only to pause as she noticed Angelus' gaze focused on a spot behind her.

Riley squared his nerves as Angelus' gaze focused on him and he fought down the urge to shift self-consciously under the dark brown gaze that to him seemed really rather menacing light in their depths, but he was sure that it was probably just his imagination, and he began closing the distance between them again.

Buffy turned around wondering what had drawn Angelus' attention and she jumped slightly to see Riley right behind her. Riley gave her what he hoped was a small winning smile. "Hey, Buffy."

"Hey… again." Buffy said a little dubiously, unsure where his conversation was going to go this time.

Riley lost the fight and shifted squirmishly highly aware of both Buffy's and her boyfriend's gaze focused on him intently. "Um," He began forgetting for a moment what he had wanted to say. "Willow said to say that she took off." Buffy's polite expression immediately became saddened as worry for her friend, guilt that she had been distracted from her friends departure before. "Oh, no," Riley rushed to assure her. "She's ok. Kind of blue, but she said not to worry."

Buffy gave him a small relieved smile. "Thank you." She said feelingly, making Riley's heart swell in hope and pride.

He went to say something else, but was cut off by Angelus as he placed a cool, firm hand on the small of her back. "Well now that that's sorted." Angelus said, glaring openly at the boy now, having sensed the fluctuations in his emotions as he'd talked with his girl. "Weren't we on our way to the dance floor?"

Buffy looked over at him. "I thought you didn't want to." She said a little chidingly, a knowing glint entering her hazel eyes.

Angelus shrugged nonchalantly. "I changed my mind." He said simply.

Buffy smiled and turned around to face him completely. "Uh-huh." She murmured cheerily, her hazel eyes sparkling up at him knowingly as she took both of his hands in her tiny ones. _'He was jealous!'_ Buffy thought, almost too happily, it wasn't as if Angelus hadn't shown jealousy before… except now… she was fairly certain that the person that invoked that emotion in him would turn up 'missing'.

"Yeah, yeah, come on. It's just a dance nothing to get tickled pink over." Angelus grumbled, before he could move towards the group of dancing college students he felt an all too familiar all to annoying presence running up towards them and he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth in aggravation. The last person he wanted to deal with was the witless wonder.

Xander came to a jumping stop beside Buffy, somewhat out of breath from running up the stairs of the frat house. "Buffy! I've been looking all over for you. We need…" Xander panted. "Need to talk, uh," His gaze went to Riley who was looking a little put out at having been forgotten so quickly by Buffy after she had gotten lost in her boyfriend, and he jumped slightly at seeing Angelus there, but quickly glanced away again with a small shudder at the irritation that was on the vampires face. "Not here. It's sort of… unfinished business." Xander said quickly, as he tried to mask his irritation at the fear Angelus managed to invoke in him.

"Business?" Buffy asked questioningly and Xander gave her a look and it suddenly clicked into place. "Right." She turned her gaze to Riley. "Uh, excuse us?"

"No problem." Riley said trying to sound calm and unaffected, and succeeding marginally as Buffy followed the boy he didn't know towards the front door. A fraction of a moment later Angelus followed them without even a backward glance at him.

"And round one goes to the boyfriend." Forrest said as he walked up behind Riley.

Riley shrugged his eyes on the spot where Buffy had disappeared without so much as a backward glance at him, a bad sign if he ever saw one.

"It's not like she blew me off." Riley shrugged hopelessly. "She just, left with another guy… two guys… that's all." He said, in a way that let anyone listening know that he was trying to convince himself more than anything else.

Forrest clapped his friend on the shoulder. "We need you downstairs anyway." He said, and Riley reluctantly nodded as he turned to follow his friend, his mind still going over just what business the boy he didn't know had made Buffy and her boyfriend leave so swiftly.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus frowned as he easily kept up with Buffy and Xander who was starting to fall behind them as they headed towards Giles condo, his senses were tingling and not just in the pleasant way Buffy being so close made them tingle and after another short moment he grasped Buffy's slender arm pulling them to a stop, wishing for the first time that he had been closer to Spike, like he had been with the other two vampires he had Sired over his un-life as it would make it easier to track the peroxide blond. Buffy turned a questioning gaze up at Angelus as Xander came to a puffing stop just ahead of them not having realized that they had stopped straight away. "What is it?" Buffy asked a small frown creasing her brow as she looked up at him questioningly.

"I'm going to go," Angelus said softly, making Buffy's frown deepen and Xander snort derisively as he folded his arms over his chest somewhat impatiently, but they both ignored him, although Angelus' jaw did tick once. "See if I can't get a head start on tracking, Spike down." The frown cleared off Buffy's face and she nodded her understanding. "Just be careful for me." He said his brown eyes staring intensely down at her. Buffy gave him a look, but before she could say anything Angelus continued on. "I know you, you can be dangerously reckless, so just be careful for me."

Buffy nodded slowly, not willing to vocally agree, when she was in a fight there was no predicting what would happen until it did. "You too, Spike is after your blood as well, probably almost as much as mine."

Angelus shrugged his shoulder his lips curling up in a cocky smirk. "In over a century, Spike has never defeated me in a fight…" His smile widened a hint of maliciousness touching the curl of his lips as he effortlessly recalled the memories. "And believe me, he tried."

"Still, be careful. I don't fancy dating your ashes." Angelus chuckled, before he could say anything though Buffy went up on her tip toes and pressed a soft loving kiss to his lips. She felt a hint of his tongue flick against her lips, before she pulled back with a reluctant moan a shiver running through her. Setting herself back on her heels she slowly opened her eyes and she flicked her tongue over her lips as they tingled and she tasted the faint remnants of his lips. "That was for luck."

Angelus reached out and grasped her small slender hand with his own and pulled her a little closer. "I think I need a little more luck than that." He murmured with a sexy half smile.

Buffy gave a little laugh and started going up on her tiptoes willing to give him some more luck, but the groan that came from behind her made her pause and settle back on her heels. She cleared her throat self-consciously, her eyes lowering to their feet for a moment, before she gathered herself and looked back up at him. "We should uh, get on with it. The sooner, Spike's dealt with the happier I'll be." She said taking a step back from him.

"Right." Angelus agreed, before he shot a glare in Xander's direction. His eyes went back to Buffy for a last look, her back now turned to him. Turning on his heel Angelus began walking back towards the college campus, knowing that if Spike was looking for Buffy the campus would be where he'd look first. Angelus scowled darkly a low threatening growl rumbling deep in his throat, if Spike laid one harmful on Buffy, Childe or not the rash peroxide blond would wish that he had never met Drusilla all those years ago, before he introduced him to his ashes!

Buffy couldn't help, but look back over her shoulder as she felt Angelus getting further away, her keen eyes finding his back. "It's better this way, Buff." Xander said, making Buffy turn her gaze to him, a small frown pulling down her brow. "I doubt, Giles would have wanted to invite 'him' into his home."

Buffy sighed and gave a small nod. "Yeah, you're probably right." She agreed. "Come on, we better hurry and get to, Giles'. He's probably starting to worry."

"Yeah, he's probably got the whole pacey thing going and the cleaning of his glasses thing." Xander said with a half-hearted attempt at a smile. As much as he'd told himself he'd try to accept the relationship between Buffy and Angelus, it was hard. Harder than he'd imagined.

"Spike, kinda has that effect on people." Buffy said, looking behind her again in the hopes of catchy a last glimpse of Angelus, she looked directly away again however at seeing that he was no were in sight.

"Yeah, he's not the only one." Xander muttered.

Buffy took a deep breath, her keen ears picking up Xander's mutter and there was no doubt in his mind just who he was referring to. "Come on. We should get moving. The longer we stand here, the longer, Spike's out there." Buffy said, her voice a little tight, before she started moving, far quicker than before, but it wasn't because of her need to deal with Spike. It was to pound out her frustration.

Xander quickly moved after Buffy, the relief he had gained from the break they'd had quickly disappeared as he struggled to keep up with Buffy and all to soon his chest and throat began burn once again, and for all his efforts he fell behind and his steps began to slow.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Riley and Forrest now joined by Graham head down the stairs of the Lowell house. "You know, I hate to say it," Forrest began as they made their way over to a large wall that was covered with three large mirrors. "But they're probably one their way to make crazy naked sex."

Riley felt his shoulders tense and he sent a glare in Forrest's direction. "Is that necessary?" He asked aggravatedly as they came to a stop in front of the mirror, all of them positioning themselves in front of the mirror and staring at themselves as they waited as a thin line of glowing green light began to scan them.

"I'm protecting you, buddy. I don't want to see you mooning over the one freshman you can't have, for the next three months." Forrest said as the green light scanned up their faces and over their eyes.

"Retinal scan accepted." The automated computer voice told them and the middle mirror slid open revealing the hidden elevator.

All three of them stepped into the elevator one after the other. "I like her." Riley said defensively, his conscious was already slightly pricked over the fact that he was chasing after a girl that was already taken.

Graham held up his hands defensively as the elevator door slid closed behind them. "I'm on your side here." He assured Riley as the elevator began to slowly move down.

"I know you are, Graham. That's what gives me the strength to put up with this comedian." Riley said, pointing a thumb in Forrest's direction.

Forrest shrugged. "Dude, straight tip. I know girls."

Riley nodded. "Exactly! Girls, plural. I'm talkin' about one girl." Riley leaned in towards a microphone that was imbedded in the wall. "One girl." He said slowly and clearly.

"Initiative vocal code match complete. Special Agent Finn, Riley. Identity number 75329." The computer spoke again.

A moment later the elevator stopped and the door opened and they walked out into the underground Government facility. Riley grabbed hold of the railing to a ladder and began climbing up. "The problem is," Riley continued, voicing the fears that were roaming around in his mind as he stepped off the ladder. "What kind of girl is going to leave her Joe Regular boyfriend to be with a guy who's only acting all Joe Regular by day and then turns all demon-hunter by night?"

"Maybe a peculiar one." Graham said encouragingly as they began descending another ladder and onto a hard concrete floor.

"Thank you, Graham." Riley said with appreciation. "You see, Forrest? You don't have to be so negative all the time." They reached Maggie Walsh and Riley held up a hand. "Hold up. Situation?" He asked of Walsh as she looked up at them.

"Gentlemen, suit up," She ordered without preamble. "We have a code red. Hostile 17 has escaped." She said making all three men jump into action as they moved to grab their Government issued skives. A few moments later all three of them stood back in front of Walsh as they finished slipping on the gear that easily went over their civilian clothes. "Here's what we know, and it isn't much." Walsh warned, her fingers holding her clipboard far tighter than necessary as she tried to control the beating of her heart and the frustration fuelled anxiety that was coursing through her at the first escape from her laboratory. "Hostile 17 broke restraints at exactly 2:47pm."

Forrest glanced over at her as he buckled a black belt around his waist. "That's a big head start." He observed as he wondered why they hadn't been notified earlier.

"Gets bigger every time you interrupt me." Walsh said admonishingly a frown pinching down her brow. "It was bagged and tagged locally, so assume it knows the area. The creature has every advantage right now. Fail to recapture it, and everything we've worked for… The Initiative itself… could end tonight." Walsh said solemnly, she was no were near ready for her work to end… not when she was so close to achieving g everything s he'd been dreaming of since she was a little girl.

"No bodies failin' on my watch." Riley assured her his normally kind face stern with the grave seriousness of the situation.

"Glad to hear it." Walsh said, her expression softening very slightly as she focused her eyes on Riley, before she banished it from her face as the scientist once again took over and she addressed the group once again. "Gentlemen, Agent Finn, is now in charge of this operation." She turned her gaze to Riley once again. "I'm counting on you, Riley."

Riley nodded his understanding and turned to face the group that had assembled for the mission that had just been assigned to him. "We start with the basic mobilization pattern. Three Teams. Sweep and sear, just like practice. Thorough, but fast. C-Team, take the campus perimeter. Make sure it can't leave. Stake it if you gotta, but only as a last resort." He waited a moment as C-Team nodded their understanding before turning to the second team. "B-Team, you're going down. Tunnels, sewers, cemeteries." B-Team nodded. "Gates and Miller are with me. We take the heart of the campus and work our way out. All units, maintain radio contact early and often. Who's got questions?" He asked, no one spoke. "Move!" Riley ordered, and a hustle of synchronized movement met his order as each team moved to begin their assignments.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy paced angrily in a tight circuit a frown darkening her brow. "What is wrong with him? Doesn't, Spike get that this is my town?" She asked as she swung back around to face Giles. Finding that she was more annoyed that her unexpected time with Angelus had been cut short by the annoying peroxide blond than anything else, she'd actually been enjoying herself for the first time at a frat party.

"He's resilient." Giles offered softly as he adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"And it's my night off." Buffy grumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest. It seemed like she hadn't had a real night off in forever.

"I'm sure he'd pick another night if he knew you were busy with, Mr. Psychotic and the new Teutonic boy toy." Xander said mockingly, his voice coming out harsher than he had meant to.

Buffy turned guarded eyes towards her friend. "What is that supposed to mean?" She asked affrontedly.

Xander swallowed thickly, swallowing the words that wanted to spill out of his mouth at the look he was getting from Buffy, knowing that he had accidentally crossed an invisible line with The Slayer. "Nothing." He muttered.

"Riley's a doof. He's not Teutonic." Buffy said. "And as for, Angelus… he's… not… that bad." Buffy muttered and it hurt something deep inside her, that couldn't truthfully say anything else in Angelus' defence. Xander snorted his disbelief. "Has he come after any of you in the months since The Mayor?" She asked piercing Xander with a hard stare. Xander looked away from her with a silent shrug, not being able to say much to that and what he did want to say, would probably stepping further over a line with Buffy that he wasn't quite ready to cross with her just yet.

Giles cleared his throat, wanting a change in subject as it was no challenge for him to read Xander's simmering hostility on the subject and Buffy's restrained anger and discomfort with the subject. "We have to assume that, Spike's main target is you, Buffy. He, uh, he gets you and Angelus…" Giles shifted his stance uncomfortably and glanced down at his feet as he forcibly took control of his emotions. "Will surely come after him negating any need to track him down."

Buffy gave him a small grateful smile, knowing were Giles was coming from, as no doubt Spike figured it would be easier to jump her than jump his Sire. As either way one would come after the other, and it warmed her to know that Giles believed… he believed that Angelus truly cared for her enough that he'd come after her. "Fine." Buffy said, the smile fading off her face as she focused her mind back on Spike. "You know what? He's worn out his welcome. Tonight, I kill him." She said firmly.

"You have a plan?" Giles asked, hoping that Buffy had one, not wanting Buffy to go in half-cocked on her anger and end up getting hurt or killed as Spike was a lot smarter than his appearance gave credence to.

Buffy gave Giles a firm unwavering look. "I am the plan. If, Spike wants me, I go alone… no arguments." She said firmly as both Giles and Xander opened their mouths to protest. "Lead him away from popular places and give him what he wants… except for the ending part." She said to assure her father figure and friend.

She turned to head for the door, but was stopped by Xander as he called after her as he picked something up off the coffee table. "Oh, wait, wait!" He called making Buffy turn back around to face him. "Take this." He said holding out the small gun to her.

Buffy took the gun and looked it over for a small moment, before she looked back up at Xander with an incredulous look on her face. "A flare gun? Xander, if I find, Spike, I'm staking him, not signalling ships at sea."

Xander didn't back down under her stare, because as much as he despised Angelus and the relationship that was developing between them. He did care for her and didn't want to see her hurt, and if he was lucky and he was pretty sure that he would be… their relationship wouldn't last for long. "You get into trouble…"

Buffy's expression softened and she took a firmer hold on the gun. "Ok, I'll flare." She agreed.

"And we'll come a-runnin'." Xander said. Buffy nodded, before she turned and continued on her way out the door hiding the flare gun in the back of her pants hiding the butt of it with the jacket she donned at Giles, and she had never been more grateful for the stash of emergency clothes she had left at Giles'. Once the door had closed behind her Xander glanced back over at Giles. "Do you think, Spike'll find her?" He asked, concerned.

Giles walked up beside him. "I'm sure of it." Giles sighed and scrubbed a hand through his greying hair. "I think I need a brandy." He muttered, before turning and walking towards his cabinet where he kept his stash.

Xander turned around to face him. "Any chance I could have a little nip?"

"You're underage." Giles said simply.

Xander pouted and turned away from Giles his arms crossing over his chest as he moved over towards one of the windows and focused his eyes on the night sky in the direction of the College campus, wanting to make sure that they didn't miss the flare if one went up. "English, always a stifler for rules."

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Spike sat at a computer a broken window behind him, the glow of the computer illuminating his face as he carefully tapped the down arrow key not wanting to break the key before he was down with the box of machinery. His blue eyes scanning the list of student names and their housing. After a moment he reached the name he had been searching for.. "Hello, gorgeous." He said with a cruel smirk curling up his lips as he read the name and scanned his eyes across until he reached the dormitory and room number that 'Buffy Summers' was lodged in. Getting up off the chair without a moments delay, he turned and the glass crunched under his feet as he quickly made his way out of the small cramped office of the school campus.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus snarled under his breath as he stalked through the campus, startling a couple who had been kissing rather passionately in amongst some shrubbery. Angelus rolled his eyes as he felt the two's eyes on him, in over two centuries things had hardly changed at all. Without paying the two any further mind he continued on his way, his nostrils flaring as he took in deep breaths trying to find his Childes scent in amongst the other scents of the night, his senses straining for the feel of the peroxide blond menace he had Sired so many years ago and had heartedly regrated it many times of the centuries. His dark eyes focused on the dark building of the University and his eyes narrowed on it and the part of him that was connected to all his Children no matter how close they were just knew that his arrogant brat of a youngest Childe was in there, planning to do harm to his mate. "Spike!" Angelus snarled under his breath as he moved swiftly towards the building, glad in the knowledge that Buffy wasn't even on campus at this particular moment.

Meaning that his girl was out of harms way for the moment, giving him the chance to deal with the younger vampire himself, because despite everything Spike was still a part of his family.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Graham, Forrest and Riley hurried through the open door of a shed that was a back door of The Initiative, moving quickly and efficiently through a wood. They quickly reached a clearing and they came to a halt at Riley's signal. "What've we got?" Riley asked Graham as he looked through a pair of binoculars.

Graham swallowed as he set his eyes on a blond haired girl sitting on a lone bench that was placed bellow a lamp that illuminated the bench and the girl that was sitting on it, making it impossible not to recognise the girl. "Civilian, sir." He said, knowing that Riley wasn't going to like it the moment he realized just who was out there.

Riley took the offered binoculars off Graham and peered through them, focusing them on the bench that Graham had been looking at. "Ah, damn." Riley muttered feelingly as he recognised Buffy's small figure seated on the bench as looked around the night, as if knowing that something else was out there… but that wasn't possible…

Forrest lowered his own binoculars. "She's compromising the area." He paused and glanced over at Riley, a small smile curling up as his lips. "At least she's not off making crazy, naked sex."

"Told you." Riley said a little smugly and relieved, before he sobered. "We gotta clear her out of there… fast." He said as he lowered his own binoculars.

"Maybe not." Forrest said contemplatively. "Just thinking." He said as everyone turned their eyes to him. "If you were hostile 17, living off the crap we feed 'em, what would you rather eat than that?"

Riley gave him an incredulous look. "You wanna use the girl I gotta a crush on as bait?"

"I can tag a hostile at 50 yards." Forrest said defensively.

Riley turned his gaze back to Buffy. "Denied." He said firmly.

"She'd be safe the entire…" Forrest continued stubbornly.

"I said denied, Agent." Riley said cutting across his friend.

Forrest looked at his friend shocked and a little resentful. "Did you just pull rank on me?"

"Do you have a problem with that?" Riley asked glancing over at Forrest.

Forrest swallowed and turned his eyes to the front. "No, sir. So, how're we gonna get her out of there?" He asked, his eyes going back to Riley, who swallowed nervously.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy sighed as she sat on the cold hard bench, her foot tapping impatiently as she waited. She hadn't really thought that it would take this long! Here she was sitting her under a friggin' spotlight, something that grated against her instincts and Spike was pulling a 'no show'. For a vamp that was supposed to be hell bent on revenge, he sure was taking his time in tracking her down. She heard the sound of grass crunching beneath shoed feet and one of her hands immediately began to slid towards where she had her stake hidden. She turned her head in the direction of the noise, her body tensing to spring to her feet, only for her to freeze in shock as she saw Riley dressed in the same clothes, that seemed to be just a little rumpled since the party coming to stand by her bench. "Riley! What are you doing here?" She asked annoying clear in her voice as he body relaxed and she sat back on the bench again, a feeling settling inside her that it was going to be a long night.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus paused in his stride along the dark corridor he was walking, Spike's scent strong in his nose, his keen eyes focusing on the broken window of an office building and he rolled his eyes. Was it really too much to ask that his Childe break in using a door instead of a window? Hoping agilely up through the window, a jagged edge of broken glass scrapping against the leather of his jacket. He walked in a short way before he came to a stop as his eyes focused on a glowing computer screen. Closing the distance between himself and the machine he bent over it, a growl rumbling in his throat as his eyes effortlessly picked out the name of his mate. It seemed that Spike had picked up some computer skills. Angelus read along the line for a moment wanting to make sure that he knew exactly what Spike knew, before he whirled around and stalked back out of the office, his steps not so hurried now that he knew where his Childe was headed and knowing that his girl wasn't in there.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Riley shrugged, his mind once again frantically searching for something to say. "Well, uh, I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to you after the party. You left so fast. You know with your friend… who's a boy…"

Buffy shifted on the bench, sweeping her gaze out over the night, no matter her feelings towards Riley in his sudden attempt to socialize with her, she didn't want him caught in the cross hairs of the battle that would hopefully take place sometime during the night between herself and Spike. "Uh, Xander?" She asked, wondering why he was concerned with it, before she quickly hurried on, not wanting to encourage conversation. "He's not anyone that I… want to talk about, right now." She said feeling awkward and deplorably rude. "Um… you know… I don't want you taking this the wrong way." She began opting for what she hoped was a politer tone of voice. "It's just, um… I need a little alone time… now… alone." Buffy stated again as Riley made no sign of making a move to leave.

"Why?" Riley asked, wanting to get to the bottom of it, so that he could get her to safety.

Buffy gave him an incredulous look. "I need space." She said evasively, knowing that thinking up a lie especially on the spot wasn't one of her strong points.

Riley glanced around the night, searching for any sign of the hostile, before turning his gaze back to Buffy. "We're outdoors."

Buffy glanced up at him, before settling her eyes on a spot in front of her as she tried to think some reason why she needed to be out here alone. "Emotionally." She searched for something better to add, but came up blank. "I mean, emotionally…" She began hoping that inspiration would hit her, but it seemed that her brain had gone on a n unexpected holiday, like it tended to do when it came to exams.

"You know," Riley began, deciding that more decisive action was needed to get Buffy back into the safety of her dorm room. "There's plenty of space back in you room. Why don't I take you?" He offered. "You wouldn't believe the weirdos out at this hour." He told her as he reached down and grasped her arm and pulled her to her feet intending to take her back to her dorm.

"Whoa!" Buffy exclaimed becoming annoyed as she yanked her arm free of his grip with an ease that surprised Riley as he turned back to face her. "Ok… it's a free campus. Who died and made you John Wayne?" She demanded to know, her arms crossing over her chest as she glared up at him.

"I'm just trying to help." Riley floundered, not particularly liking being on the receiving end of her angry stare, especially when he was just trying to help, it made him wish that he could explain to her the real danger there was at being out alone… especially tonight… and suddenly he worried that she made a habit of coming out alone to sit on this bench for emotional space where any hostile could just sneak up on her out of know where and there'd be no one around to help her.

Buffy frowned up at him. "You think I need help? Believe me, I don't." She said firmly, highly aware that she was being rude, but being polite hadn't really worked in her favour in getting him to leave. "You know, if you were a real gentleman, then you would just leave." Buffy said as she sat herself back down on the bench. "You would go far, far away, now!" She glanced away from him then back up to see him still standing there, staring down at her. "Shoo!" She said using her hands to gesture a shooing motion for emphasis.

"Are you drunk?" Riley asked, wondering why it was that she was being so difficult about this.

"Yes!" Buffy exclaimed. "Go report me." She demanded.

Riley sighed, his brow furrowing with determination. "I'm taking you home. Come on." He said as he once again reached down and grasped her by her arm and pulled her to her feet and began leading her away again.

Once again he only got a couple of steps until Buffy yanked her arm from out of his grasp. "Oh, did you ever think that maybe I'm gonna take you home, huh? What?" She asked as Riley turned back around to face her, a genuinely surprised expression on his face. "You think that boys cam take care of themselves and girls need help?" She asked, her eyebrows raising challengingly.

Riley shrugged as if it was obvious. "Yeah."

Buffy frowned. "Oh, that is so Teutonic." She muttered.

Riley crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest. "Look, Buffy, as long as you're out here, I'm staying."

Buffy crossed her own arms over her chest, her eyes meeting his stubbornly. "Well, as long as you're out here, I'm staying." Riley opened his mouth to argue, but the sound of a shrill terrified scream pierced the night and they both looked in the direction it had come, before quickly looking back at each other.

"Gotta go." Riley muttered.

"See ya." Buffy said, before they both sprinted off in different directions, Riley back towards his men and Buffy in the general direction of her dormitory, as that was where the scream had come from.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus paused in his steps again as he heard the scream, his heart clenching as worry hit him, as the scream was definitely female and coming from inside the campus, his eyes flashed amber and a growl rumbled in his chest. Was it possible that he had been wrong and that Buffy was in the campus building… in her dormitory… where Spike had been headed? With a louder growl Angelus ran down the hallway he was in a desperate need to get to his girls dorm pounding along his dead veins.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"Tell me we're tracking." Riley demanded as he quickly slid the Kevlar back on over his civs.

Graham nodded as he looked down at the device that he was holding. "Honing a signal." He said his eyes waiting the small screen for a moment before a smile curled up his lips. "Got it… heading West. Better be the hostile."

Forrest grabbed his radio that was attached to the shoulder of his Kevlar and spoke into it. "All units converge, all units converge. Hard target sighted." He looked down at the device Graham was holding. "Heading 1-2 alpha niner. Let's bag it, before this gets ugly." He advised the units as they began moving.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow sighed deeply as she sat on her bed, her legs stretched out in front of her arms tightening around the cushion she was hugging to her chest once again. The melancholic sound of the music she was playing once again drifting through the room. Her thoughts focused on Oz and what he was doing now, if he was getting closer to finding what he was looking for. If he had found it and was even now making his way back to her, Willow gave a disparaging sharp laugh and shook her head and wiped at tears she could feel beginning to slip from her eyes and down her cheeks. She looked up as a knock sounded on her dormitory door. A slight frown pulled down her brow as she looked at the door wondering who would be knocking at this time of night, knowing that Buffy wouldn't knock first, before she wiped at her eyes again. "Come in." She called, figuring that it was Riley, coming to tell her about what had happened with Buffy.

The door opened and Willow sat up ramrod straight, before jumping to her feet fear making her heart pound in her chest at seeing Spike walk into her room closing the door behind him. "Spike!" Willow exclaimed before swallowing past the large lump that had jumped into her throat. "Wh-what do you want? Uh, a spell?" She asked remembering what he had wanted with her the last time he'd sought her out. "I can do that." She assured him, before she ran, sprinting as fast as she could towards the front door. But Spike using his superior reflexes caught her about the waist and threw her back with relish, and Willow slammed into the nightstand that stood between hers and Buffy's beds.

Spike continues to walk towards her, his steps predatory. "I'll give you a choice." He murmured inserting a friendly tone to his voice as he closed in on her as Willow leaned back against the nightstand. "Now, I'm going to kill you. No choice in that. But… I can let you stay dead… or…" He shifted his face into the hard ridge of the demon, his amber eyes flashing hungrily at her, his mouth dry with his hunger. "Bring you back, to be like me." He offered.

Willow swallowed thickly, a cold sweat beading on her brow and running coolly down her spine. "I-I'll scream." She threatened, her eyes going past him for a moment to look at the door hopefully, wanting Buffy to come through the door.

"Bonus." Spike said with a shrug, a cruel smile curling up his lips, one that showed off his fangs. Willow screamed shrilly, hoping that if it was loud enough someone would hear and barge in, interrupting Spike, before he could drain her dry. _'Buffy where are you?'_ Willow thought as Spike leapt at her, his hands closing around her, throwing her onto her bed, one of his hands reaching over to turn her CD player up to a blaring volume to smother the sound of her screams.

"No!" Willow cried, her arms flailing at him, as he jumped on top of her. Willow struggled futilely for a bit as Spike lowered his head, one of his hands managing to grasp her chin and angle her head to the side baring the vulnerable side of her throat and the strongly thudding pulse there.

Lunging down, his mouth opening to sink his fangs in the tender column of her throat, only for a blinding sharp pain to flare through the front of his head forcing him to fall back with a pained scream his hands coming up to clutch at his forehead and Willow scrambled up into a sitting position surprised and relieved, her eyes wide now not only with fear, but with surprise. Willow turned down the volume of her music as Spike placed his hands on her bed, pulling himself up so that he could sit down on the soft mattress, one of his hands coming up to rub at his forehead again as he slumped forward, his arm coming to rest on his thighs. "Ar-are you alright?" She asked nervously, her eyes flicking towards her door, pondering her chances of making it… almost immediately she disregarded the idea, knowing that Spike would be able to grab her before she'd made it two steps.

"Oh, just peachy." Spike snarled, rubbing a hand over his forehead again, as the pain faded away completely. "I don't understand." He muttered miserably. "This sort of thing's never happened to me before."

Willow gave a little shrug, as she glanced around carefully not wanting to alert Spike to anything. "Maybe you were nervous?" She suggested.

"I felt alright when I started." He informed her, before he turned his gaze to Willow taking a deep unnecessary breath. "Let's try again." He leapt at her again, and Willow let out a scared yipping sound, that was drowned out by Spike's scream of pain." "Ow! Oh! Ow! Damn it!" Spike growled as he leapt up off her and stalked a small pace around the room, kicking the large dresser that both girls shared as he passed it.

"Maybe you're trying too hard." Willow offered. "Doesn't this happen to every vampire?" She asked a little hopefully.

Spike whirled around to face her, and jabbed a finger at himself. "Not to me it doesn't!" He growled agitatedly.

Willow looked down at her knees miserably. "It's me, isn't it?"

Spike gave her a surprised look, his mind taken off his own problems for a moment. "What are you talking about?"

Willow shrugged helplessly. "Well, you came looking for Buffy, then you settled. I-I… you didn't want to bite me. I just happened to be around."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Piffle." He said firmly.

Willow shrugged again, her expression reflecting her misery. "I know I'm not the kind of girl vamps like to sink their teeth into. It's always like, 'ooh, you're like a sister to me', or 'oh, you're such a good friend.'" Willow muttered bitterly.

Spike smiled his face once again the smooth features of the human. "Don't be ridiculous. I'd bite you in a heartbeat." He assured her.

"Really?" Willow asked, perking up just a little at his assurance.

Spike sat himself down on her bed again. "Thought about it." He admitted.

Willow sat up straighter and shifted towards the edge of her bed. "When?" She asked a little eagerly.

Spike smiled a little fondly at the memory. "Remember last year, you had on that…" Spike hesitated as he tried to remember what it was that she had been wearing when he had kidnapped her. "Fuzzy pink number with the lilac underneath."

Willow turned her gaze away from him a small frown pulling down her brow as she realized that she had been feeling dejected and then happy over being bitten by a vampire! "I never would have guessed. You played the bloodlust kinda cool."

Spike nodded as Willow turned her gaze back to him. "Mmm. I hate being obvious. All fangy and 'rrr'!" Spike said using his hand to emphasis his words. "Takes the mystery out."

"But if you could…" Willow trailed off, not wanting to arouse the vampire's suspicions as she once again surveyed the room with her eyes.

Spike nodded sharply, his own misery at his current problem once again coming over his face. "If I could, yeah." He agreed.

"You know, this doesn't make you any less terrifying." Willow offered with another small shrug, wanting to keep Spike calm.

"Don't patronize me." Spike growled annoyed, making Willow wince at her mistake, and she edged away from him a little. Just because he could seem to bite her, didn't mean that he couldn't do other things to her!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Outside Stevenson hall hiding in bushing to reduce the risk of students seeing them if they looked outside their dorm room windows, Riley, Forrest and Graham stood all three of them peering at a thermal temperature device that Graham was holding, aimed up at the dorms. "I'm getting a picture." Graham told them. "Signatures locked."

"What have we got?" Riley asked as he peered over Graham's shoulder.

"Humans of the freshman variety." Graham stated as he began slowly scanning the device across the building. "98.6, 98.6…" Graham paused as something different showed up on the small rounded screen. "Bingo! Got a cold one. Thermal output clockin' in at exactly… room temperature. Vampire." He informed them. "Call a standard triangle flanking manoeuvre."

Riley nodded his agreement to the manoeuvre. "We're going in. I need a lock down of grid 6." He said into his radio.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"I'm only 126." Spike bemoaned to Willow as he sat slumped forward on her bed, not believing for a second that the novice witch was a threat to him.

"You're being too hard on yourself." Willow soothed. "Why don't we wait a half an hour and try again?" She suggested, when Spike didn't respond she cautiously shifted away from him a little more. "Or," She continued in the hopes of keeping Spike in the dark as she carefully lifted the lamp off the nightstand. She didn't bother saying anything else however as she hurriedly brought the lamp down as hard as she could on Spike's head breaking the pottery, before she quickly got up and ran over to the door to her dorm room and yanked on the handle to open it only for the door to remain firmly shut, and for the lights to go out all of a sudden, making Willow's heart hammer in louder in her chest, so loudly, that she was surprised that it didn't break right through her ribcage!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Riley, Forrest and Graham and the other teams that had rushed to do as ordered raced up through the dorm, forcing students that hadn't been in their dormitories to scramble out of their way shouting curses at them in the dark. The night vision goggles each of wore enabling them to see clearly as they made their way up to Willow's and Buffy's dorm. One of them busted down Willow's door and Willow frantic to get out of her room to safety ran out startling them, forcing them out of the way for a moment as she determinedly fled passed them. She slammed into the opposite wall and turned only to freeze as she saw the hazy image of a gun pointed at her. "No, hold your fire!" Riley ordered as he noticed the soldiers intent and Willow sank to the floor huddling against it in both relief and fear as the gun was turned away from her.

In the next moment Spike burst out of the room with an angry snarl, his keen eyes easily making them out in the dark. He slammed Graham bodily into a wall, his face shifting as Graham struggled against his strength. "It's on me!" Graham screamed as Spike went to bite him. Spike stumbled back with a cry of pain his hands clutching his head as the action caused another bout of severe pain to rack through his head. He felt a hand grab him and he yanked his arm free before slamming the commando into the wall. "Move!" Another commando demanded and Spike looked around in the direction of the other voice. His eyes widening a little as he saw a shadowy figure move behind the commando and his senses began tingling and the next thing he knew he was grabbed from behind. "Bag it, tag it!" The commando yelled. "We're gone. Sir… Civilian, could have been turned." He continued as he struggled to keep Spike contained, referring to Willow as she continued to cower in the corner.

"Leave her." Riley ordered.

"We can't neglect quarantine, sir!" The commando said strainedly as Spike almost broke free. They were all distracted however when the commando cried out in surprise as he was thrown off Spike, by an unknown assailant.

"What is it? What happened, solider?" Riley called, as Spike grabbed a fire extinguisher and smashed the commando that had grabbed with it, only for pain to rock through him again making him fall back with a sharp cry of pain, but he still keeps the extinguisher raised. A commando fired and hit the extinguisher and Spike dropped it as CO2 gas filled the room making it hard for even the vampires to see.

Willow coughed a little, but took the opportunity to crawl towards her dorm room. "Stop her!" A commando cried as he noticed her movement through the CO2. Willow moved faster in an attempt to get there faster, only to be brought up short as a hand clothes around her shirt and she looked back at him, her eyes wide with fear. Buffy who'd just managed to make her way onto her dorm room floor scowled darkly as she entered the hall through the door and moved towards them. "She's contained." The commando who had hold of her cried.

Buffy stopped beside them as she pulled out her flare gun. "Contain this!" She growled drawing both Willow's and the commando's attention. Without hesitation she pulled the trigger aiming for around eye level, making the commando cry out in pain as the night vision goggles amplified the light and he released Willow.

The sounds of the other commando's crying out in pain as the flare bounced around the hallway. "What the hell was that?" Riley cried as he ripped off his night vision goggles, the other commando's followed suit as Buffy gently shooed Buffy into their dorm room. She felt movement behind her and she swung around, her fist raised, only for it to be caught by a familiar hand and she felt a smile curl up her lips. "Why are you here?" She asked.

"Later." Angelus murmured as he released her fist and turned to face the advancing commando's, his eyes narrowing on the army types. He'd known that they'd be trouble, from the moment he'd seen them after Halloween. Buffy nodded her agreement as she meet the commando that was stumbling blindly towards her. Angelus turned his gaze from Buffy as she stared fighting the commando, his eyes seeking out Spike. Seeing his Childe lying on the floor against the wall, he made to stalk over to him, only for a commando to begin blindly swing at him, and he snarled in annoyance, his gaze drifting over to Buffy to see how she was doing, finding it difficult through the CO2 cloud that was still filling the corridor.

Buffy grunted as she put as much force as she could behind her punch, the satisfying feeling of it connecting with the commando's face filling her as she moved to attack him again, wanting to show the bugger just what she thought of those that attacked her friends. He fist is caught once again though as Riley who was as unaware of who he was fighting as Buffy was redirected her into a wall with a solid thud. Spike seeing a way to escape the mess that he had found himself in hastily moved to make his escape whilst both Buffy and Angelus where busy. Angelus who hadn't been concentrating on the blundering blind commando, noticed and snarled. Avoiding the next punch the commando threw at him with effortless ease, he grabbed his arm and slammed him into the wall making the masked commando groan as he fell to the floor. Moving towards the door Spike had hurried out of, he glanced towards Buffy to make sure that she was alright, seeing that she was doing fine as she kicked back at the commando that had pushed her against the wall freeing herself, he hurried out the door, follow Spike's scent effortlessly now that he was so close.

Pushing his legs faster he turned a corner and saw Spike running into another room, quickly following him in Angelus stopped running his eyes narrowing on Spike's fleeing form. "Spikey, Spikey, just how long do you think it's gonna be until I catch up with you, boyo?" He called, and Spike stopped reluctantly, before turning around to face his Sire. "Ah, so you do have some brains, I was beginning to wonder." Angelus said mockingly.

"What do you want, ya bloody poof!" Spike snarled.

Angelus growled angrily and stalked towards his Childe, quickly closing the gap between them. His hand coming up and closing about Spike's throat before the younger vampire could properly react. Angelus slammed Spike up against a wall, his brown eyes flashing angrily at him. "I'm only going to warn you this one last time, Spikey, because your family." Angelus growled his hand tightening around his Childe's throat. "Raise even one threatening hand to my girl and family or not I will end you!" Spike snorted and Angelus brought him away from the wall, before slamming his head back against the wall. "I will stake you out upon the grounds of my home and watch as the sun rises and you slowly burn, and take delight in your screams of agony as you are slowly consumed by fire until all that remains is your ashes." His hand tightened further about Spike's throat. "So take my advice, Spike. "Take your little ditsy bimbo and get the hell out of my town, just to remove the temptation, because I swear, Spike I will not forgive you going after my mate again. Are we clear?"

Spike managed a small nod. "Crystal." He managed to gasp out. Angelus growled and released Spike and stepped back from his Childe. He watched with cold eyes as Spike stepped away from the wall clutching at his throat. Spike met his Sire's eyes for a moment, before looking away as he began walking away from him. "Bloody poof!" Spike grumbled under his breath, his ego and pride bruised in more ways than one. Angelus watched his Childe until he disappeared around the door. He knew that it was highly unlikely that Spike would leave town like he had suggested, the boy was far too hot blooded to leave things as they were.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy swung around and quickly dodged a kick and then a punch, before she retaliated landing a harsh punch, forcing the commando she was fighting back advancing on him she kicks him forcing him back further, grabbing his arm as he moved to swing at her, she landed an concession of quick harsh punches to the commando's gut, forcing him to double over to try and protect his stomach. Riley groaned and forced himself to straighten up, getting a hold of himself, he landing a solid punch to his assailants face, making sure that it was hard as he could manage. Buffy flew back her stumbling steps as she tried to keep her feet only stopping when she hit the wall. She pushed away from it her body ready for another go round her senses keeping track of the other commando's as well.

Riley stared about the hall with his hazy vision trying to focus on his assailant, and he saw the person move as another of his commando moved to engage him in battle, and with an efficient move she threw him down. Trying to make out the other guys he had brought with him Riley took a breath trying to not to cough as he took in the CO2, his eyes stinging. 'Abort!" He ordered, yelling it to make sure all his men heard it.

Buffy watched them go, her body still posed for a fight just in case they tried anything, but they all quickly filed past her and soon she found herself standing alone in the hall and she sighed her body relaxing. Turning towards her dorm, she knocked gently on the door not wanting alarm Willow by just waltzing in after what had just happened. She looked about the hall the CO2 was beginning to clear, proving that she was indeed alone in the hall, but she could still sense Angelus somewhere close by. "Wills, its me." She called when Willow didn't open the door. Almost immediately the door opened and Buffy had her arms full of her best friend as she cried. Buffy hugged her friend. "Hey, it's alright." Buffy assured her. "It's over." Willow nodded as she hiccupped.

Angelus stood in the doorway of the door Spike had run out of watching Buffy as she comforted her friend. He wanted to join her, make sure that she hadn't been hurt with his hands as well as his eyes, but he knew that right now he wouldn't get anywhere. He stood there until Buffy ushered her friend into her dorm and shut the door behind them. Stuffing his hands into his pockets he walked into the hall pausing in front of Buffy's dorm room door, listening to Willow's crying sniffles and Buffy's soothing voice for a moment, before he moved on, his steps quickening in the hopes that he may be able to catch up to the soldiers that had infiltrated Buffy's dorm.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"I'm sure you'll understand if I seem far from happy." Walsh said sternly as she addressed Riley, Forrest and Graham as they stood before her.

"Yes, ma'am." Riley said. "If you read my report you'll see," He attempted to continue, but Walsh cut him off in no mood to hear excuses even from him.

"Hostile 17's found an accomplice who's smart aggressive, and somehow escapes description." She said tapping the report she held in her hand disapprovingly.

"Whoever he was, the guy was big." Forrest said in an attempt to salvage his pride, the memory of being so easily laid out haunting him.

"Strong too." Graham added.

Riley nodded. "Whoever… or whatever," He began remember the strength of the guys punches and kicks as they'd fought.

Walsh cut across him again. "I'm not interested in guess work gentlemen. Call me old fashioned, but I like results. This report reads like a child's riddle book. Agent Finn, tell me something good. My implant?"

Riley smiled relieved to have something good to report on that front after the disaster the mission turned into. "The implant works. Hostile 17 can't harm any living creature, in anyway, without intense neurological pain. We'll bag it." He said confidently. _'And his accomplice too.'_ He thought as he took in the sorry state of some of the men that had been in fray as they'd attempted to recapture hostile 17.

Walsh nodded, the scientist in her wishing that she had been able to see the implant at work with her own eyes, but she would, as soon as hostile 17 was brought to heel. "Yes, you will." She said confidently. "Dismissed." Riley nodded and walked towards the locker room, his body feeling stiff. Forrest and Graham following him all of them wanting to just crash for the night.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy walked across the campus, her books hugged to her chest, her eyes felt a little scratchy and tired, she'd been up pretty much all night with Willow listening to her tell her what had happened, and to her crying over Oz. She hadn't minded, she was glad that she had been there, but she was paying for it today, her classes had never felt like more of a chore… and Walsh had seemed especially vindictive for some reason. Riley who had been hanging around hoping to catch Buffy smiled as he saw her slowly walking across the lawn and he walked towards her. "Hey." He greeted with a smile.

"Hi." Buffy returned surprised, that he was willing to come over and say 'hi' to her after last night.

"Listen," Riley began as he fell into step beside her, glad to have something to talk about. "Sorry about last night."

Buffy shook her head and gave him a smile. "No, no… I was rude. I just felt like being alone." She shrugged. "Sometimes it's nice to be out by yourself at night."

"I hear that." Riley agreed. "Gotta be careful, though. Lotta strange… people out there." He warned, and that was as close as he could ever get to warning her about demons and vampires.

Buffy nodded. "Oh, yeah." She agreed.

"Uh, how's Willow doing?" Riley asked, in an attempt to keep the conversation going, now that he was actually having one with her.

Buffy shrugged, her expression saddening. "Ok. 'Course, that stupid fraternity prank on our dorm didn't help any." She said with a scowl.

"That's right." Riley exclaimed. "I forgot you guys live in Stevenson."

Buffy looked up at him. "You knew that?" She asked surprised.

Riley looked away from her, hoping that he didn't look too uncomfortable. "Well, Willow and I were… I thought she might be able to help me on a project." He said a little lamely.

"Really?" Buffy murmured. "That work out for you?" She asked curiously.

"Don't know yet." Riley admitted. "But I'm hopeful."

"Well, with, Willow on your side, I can safely say that your chances are pretty good." Buffy told him.

"I'm sure your right." Riley agreed enthusiastically. He went to say more, but noticed that Buffy had stopped walking and her attention was no longer on him. Looking in the direction Buffy was and he sighed despondently as he saw Angelus standing a short distance away looking at them… at Buffy.

Buffy gave herself a small shake and turned her gaze back to Riley. "I'm sorry, Riley, but, uh, I…"

Riley sighed and forced himself to smile. "No, it's fine. I've got things… lots of things that I need to do… papers to uh, grade."

"Right. Well, you have a good day, despite all the, uh, grading." Buffy said a little awkwardly.

"Oh, yeah with over 200 hundred student papers to grade, it's guaranteed." He said, fighting back the grimace at how lame that sounded.

"Uh-huh." Buffy said glancing away from him, her eyes going to Angelus and she smiled at him, before she turned her gaze back to Riley. "I'll see you around." She said, before she began walking towards Angelus.

Riley swallowed thickly. "Yeah, see you." He muttered he stood there watching for a moment as Buffy walked towards him an extra spring in her step. His heart clenched and he forced himself to look away, before he began walking away, not wanting to stand around and watched the girl he liked, be happy with someone else.

Buffy smiled as she reached Angelus. "Hey." She greeted. "You kinda disappeared last night, almost as quickly as you showed up."

"Yeah, I went after, Spike. I don't think he'll be showing his face for a while." Angelus said assuredly.

"So… he's not dust then." Buffy muttered with a small pout.

"No." Angelus confirmed with a small smile, running a hand up her arm.

"Damn." Buffy muttered. "He's a slippery little…" Buffy trailed off and changed track. "Well, when he does show he's face again. I'll be ready." She said firmly.

"So, what do you want for lunch?" Angelus asked.

"Ooh, nothing. I just want to nap, between now and four when I have my next class." Buffy said, dipping her head down to hide the yawn that took her over.

Angelus chuckled and placed a finger under her chin lifting her head up so that he could meet the eyes that could suddenly no longer hide their tiredness. "Well, we could go back to my place and make use of my very comfortable bed…"

The tiredness immediately left Buffy's eyes to be replaced with uncertainty and she took a step back from him and his touch. "Angelus, I… I love you." She said sincerely, her heart speeding up just a little. "I do, but, I meant when I said that I… that I'm not ready for that yet. I'm sorry." She apologized, her gaze leaving his not wanting to see the look in his eyes. She really, really wasn't ready to make sex apart of her relationship with Angelus again just yet, as silly as that may seem to him, after all it wasn't as if they hadn't done it a fair few times now… but most of those times if not all of them had been not so good memories for her… Buffy turned around to leave, not willing to take in his reaction at all.

Angelus reached out and grasped her arm, accidentally making her drop her books on the ground. He gently turned her around to face him. "Hey, Buffy look at me." He said gently, and slowly Buffy did and he smiled at her and rested his forehead against hers. "I'm going to keep telling you this until it sinks in. I'm never going to force you into sex again. I'm a 245 year old vampire I can appreciate the wait. I just wanted to be able to hold you and watch you whilst you sleep."

Buffy looked up at him surprised her heart swelling with happiness and love, it seemed that Angelus was surprising her more and more lately, making all her fears seem unfounded. Stepping towards him she wrapped her arms around him hugging him. "You know, half the time I'm not sure what I should believe with you anymore?" Buffy murmured against his chest as she felt Angelus arms wrap about her. "Are you the guy that wanted to see me dead, or un-dead, or the sweet guy that's determined to prove that he wants to cherish me?"

Angelus held her against him tighter. "For all the mistakes I've made, Buff…" Angelus trailed off and kissed the top of her head. Buffy held him tighter and buried her face in his chest breathing his scent deeply into her lungs. _'Please let this be real!'_ Buffy thought pleadingly as the more she began to trust in what was happening, the more the part of her that wasn't so convince curled up into a ball of terror as it waited for the other foot to drop.

And the more invested she got the more everything was going to go to hell if… Buffy shook her head and pressed deeper against Angelus, she didn't want to think about… she just really wanted to go back to the time when being in love… wasn't so scary. "So, do you want me to walk you to your dorm?" Angelus asked.

Buffy bit her lower lip, gently chewing on it as she looked up at him contemplating, running the pros and cons through her mind as she looked up at him. He fear weighing heavily on her as she thought about it as Angelus met her eyes, patiently waiting for her response and finally she shook her head. "No, but… you could walk me to yours. Your mattress is more comfortable than the one in my dorm." Buffy said with a shrug and a small smile as she stepped back from him. "Just to sleep though." She began to babble. "And uh, do you think you could wake me at three so that I can get to class on time…" Buffy stopped talking as Angelus gently pressed a finger to her lips.

"You don't have to force yourself to do anything. You're not going to loss me." Angelus told her sincerely.

"I'm not." Buffy said firmly. "I want to… and I miss… well I miss… a lot of things." Buffy finished lamely a flush darkening her cheeks.

Angelus smiled, but didn't say anything, not willing to accidentally spook her, Buffy quickly gathered up her books, only to find the taken off her hands as Angelus took hold of them and began walking and Buffy fell into step beside him, glad to have the weight of the books taken off her hands. "How about I wake you up at 3:30 and drive you back?" Angelus offered.

"Wait, you have a car?" Buffy asked surprised.

Angelus shrugged. "Yeah. I just find that I don't need it in such a small town." Angelus told her.

Buffy gently took hold of his arm as they walked. "Sounds good." She agreed, an extra half hour of sleep sounded like heaven to her tired eyes.

**A/N:** Ok that's chapter 7 at long last. Again sorry for the long wait, I feel terrible! But my muse was having a hard time with this chapter… unfortunately I don't think the next chapter will be out as fast as I would hope, but I shall try to get it out a lot sooner than this one. Please let me know what you think of the chapter and again sorry for the lateness of this chapter.


	8. Chapter 8 a need for normalcy

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of the characters mentioned in the cannon.

**A/N:** Once again a huge apology to all my readers who have waited so patiently for this chapter to be finished and posted. And also a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed I know that I have been slack in replying lately, but I do appreciate the time you all take to leave me a review and hopefully I shall be able to get around to reply to your reviews very soon. I just thought that you'd appreciate a chapter more than a review reply by this point. Lol. Anyway please enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think.

**CHAPTER 8**

**A Need For Normalcy**

Buffy trudged slowly re-entering the University campus, a frown darkening her brow, her arms crossed over her chest, her hands tucked against her sides. She wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings too focused on the soreness of the disappointment she was feeling. She'd gone over to her family home to visit her mother and to find out if she wanted to do the thanksgiving shopping together, only to find her mother in the midst of packing… her mother wanting to visit her sister for thanksgiving this year. And she understood… really she did. Her mother hadn't managed to see her sister in years… practically since they'd had to move from Los Angeles so that she could go to the closest school in California that would take her. It added guilt to her disappointment, because in a lot of ways it was her fault that her mother hadn't been able to see her sister for so long. The guilt didn't lessen her disappointment though, it felt like her mother had abandoned her… which was ridiculous she knew, but the feeling was there none the less.

On a subconscious instinct Buffy's trudging footsteps stopped in between a thicket of bushes and trees, her eyes focusing on a boy walking over the grass, in a lane that the trees created. Buffy's eyes narrowed on him as he walked, his head turning from left to right scanning the night, searching… personally it looked like he was hunting, but that could just be her inner Slayer talking, not to mention the desire she had to pummel something to help relieve the disappointment and guilt she was feeling. Buffy followed being sure to keep hidden in amongst the trees and shrubbery, she didn't recognise him, but that wasn't unusual, the campus was big and not everyone lived on campus, but just the look of him had her senses on alert, focusing on him and it confirmed her suspicions as her senses tingled with the feel of a young vampire. A twig snapped under her foot and the vampire paused in his stride his posture stiffening slightly, changing from that of the hunter to the hunted as he searched the night with his eyes, this time looking for a pursuer, instead of someone to pursue. Which confirmed her assessment that this was a very young vamp, only the young ones still reacted with human like instincts.

Buffy smiled as she waited, the anticipation of an upcoming fight and staking throbbing through her veins. Quietly she moved making sure to keep hidden until she'd moved ahead of him, stepping out of her hiding place she moved out in front of him, just as the vampire turned back around to keep walking. A startled expression crossing his face to see a petite blond woman standing in front of him. "Oh!" He exclaimed.

Buffy cocked her head slightly to the side as she looked up at him. "Looking for me?" She asked, with a small smile.

The male vampires eyes widened as he realized exactly what she was. "Holy!" He began, before he decided to play it cool. "What do you want?" He asked, trying to sound calm and unaffected. Buffy curled her hand into a fist, pulling her arm back she punched him in the face with enough force to force his head to angle back from the blow. "Uhh!" He groaned, his expression startled, before he let his face shift into the demonic features of the demon as he realized that she wasn't going to buy his act. "Hey!" He growled.

"Look whose home." Buffy quipped as she met the vampires amber eyes.

The vampire sneered at her. "A Slayer! Why don't you just go back where you came from?! Things were great before you came!" He snarled.

Buffy gave him a small careless shrug. "Well, I would, but this place has become like a home away from home. What with the demons and the vampires and the seemingly yearly apocalypse…" Buffy trailed off as she ducked the punch the vampire threw at her. Retaliating with her own, she punched him in the face again, which she quickly followed up with a kick to his side and the vampire fell to the ground. He quickly recovered himself and began to get up, once he'd reached his knees, he backhanded Buffy in the stomach with a closed fist. In swift retaliation she backhanded him across the face sending him falling back to the ground. The vampire swiftly rolled over onto his stomach and scrambled to his feet preparing to run away, instinctively knowing that he couldn't win this fight. Before he could Buffy grabbed him as she pulled her stake out of its hiding place and thrust it smoothly into his back, the tip piercing his un-beating heart, and as she withdrew her stake from the vampire he disintegrated into a pile of dust at her feet.

As she re-hid her stake she became aware of another vampiric presence and she smiled at the intimate familiarity of it as it tingled over her skin and her heart picked up speed. "You know, I kinda wish it had lasted a little longer." Angelus commented as he stepped out of the foliage he had been watching from and Buffy turned to face him.

"How long were you watching?" She asked as Angelus continued to approach her.

Angelus shrugged a half smile curling up his lips. "Long enough to see you land your first punch." He murmured as he came to a stop in front of her.

"And I suppose it didn't occur to you to lend a hand?" Buffy asked as she looked up at him.

"Of course I did, but I knew you could handle him. Plus, I like watching you move." Angelus said his smile widening, flashing some of his pearly whites at her.

Buffy felt herself flush and she smiled. "Ditto." She murmured and Angelus raised an eyebrow at her. Buffy lowered her gaze for a moment as she felt her heart skip a beat, before it speed up a little in her embarrassment. "Uh, well, I mean you. I feel the same way about watching you." Buffy babbled, her tongue tripping over itself in her hurry to correct the misinterpretation her previous words had caused.

Angelus smiled a chuckle rumbling in his chest. "I'll have to keep that in mind."

Buffy smiled up at him toothily, finding herself relaxing despite the red flag of warning the terrified part of her threw up in desperation. She clasped her hands together in an attempt to keep from reaching out and taking his hand in hers. "So, to what do I owe this pleasure?" She asked, as she began walking beside him.

Angelus shrugged. "Do I need a reason to want to see my girl?"

Buffy shook her head, her lips curving up into a smile once again as she took his hand gently into her own, peeking up at him from underneath her lashes to judge his reaction, feeling the slight tenseness in her muscles relax as he squeezed her hand gently in reaction. "Nope. Surprise visits are nice." She confided, feeling her slight depression of earlier fading away under the happiness of knowing that he had wanted to see her enough that he had sought her out.

With an easy movement that he had perfected long before he had become a vampire, he raised their joined hands and easily slid her small hand into the crook of his arm and used his opposite hand to cover hers. He smiled slightly and tucked that tid-bit of information away for future use.

"So, what had you all mopey and slightly depressed before?" Angelus asked, and he couldn't help the smug smirk that curled up his lips at Buffy's surprised expression as she looked up at him. "What?" He asked with an innocent look placed on his face. "I know you. I know that look, that walk, not to mention that wicked angry little right hook."

Buffy's expression turned a little wary, a wariness that she tried to hide, but she had never been very good at it and Angelus could read it clearly over her face. "So, you're back to the old stalking routine." She murmured trying to sound jovial and unconcerned about it, as she turned her gaze back down to her feet, hiding her expression from Angelus' all too observant eyes.

Angelus gently squeezed his hand around her smaller warm one. "Well, not on purpose." Buffy snapped her gaze back up to him, her innocent hazel eyes wide with hopeful curiosity. A hope that was so deep seated inside of her now that it scared her. She was scared of the consequences of trusting him, of hoping that there was a chance for her… for them to be happy together… it seemed so stupid and yet… the more time that past… the more she was beginning to think that it was possible. "I just happened to be walking along, minding my own business, when I saw you. I began following you because I wasn't sure whether you would appreciate company or not." Angelus murmured, forcing away the frown that wanted to darken his face, at the slight annoyance he couldn't help, but feel at having to explain himself, even to her… to his mate.

It was all, his fault that he had to reassure his hopefully soon-to-be mate, and hopefully soon he would regain the trust that he had so brutally and hastily smashed to thousands of tiny pieces. Buffy found herself looking back down at her feet, a small smile curling up her lips as she watched her feet move, her gaze moved towards Angelus feet and for some unexplainable reason her smile grew as she watched his steps, steps that he was shortening for her and her much shorter legs. Raising her free hand she curled it into a loose fist, pressing it gently against her lips as she tried to supress her smile, before she looked back up at him. "Well, FYI," Buffy murmured as she placed her free hand over the hand Angelus had placed over hers, drawing Angelus' gaze back to her. "I'll take company over stalking anytime. Cause stalking… kinda creepy."

"I'll make a note of it." Angelus said with a slightly teasing note to his voice.

Buffy gave a short sage like nod. "Do." She encouraged, she squeezed his hand very slightly, before she slipped her hand from on top of his, a smile brightening her face once again, as she looked around the now familiar landscape that was her University campus.

"So," Angelus began. "Are you going to tell me what had you so down earlier?" He asked as he glanced down at her.

Buffy gave a small shrug and turned her gaze ahead of her. "It's nothing really. I'm probably just overreacting."

"If it's troubling you, it's not nothing." Angelus said softly, not wanting to encourage his mate to keep secrets from him, but rather to share what was bothering her. He couldn't be a proper mate if he couldn't look after his mates needs."

Buffy gave a little shrug. "I guess I'm just a little hurt." She began, only to turn to face Angelus as he gently pulled them to a stop a concern and worried look on his face, and Buffy's expression turned shocked. "Oh, no, Angelus." She hurried to assure him. "It has nothing to do with you… or us." Angelus' expression smoothed over and his lips curled up into a small half smile. "My mum decided that she wants to go visit my Aunt Darlene for Thanksgiving." She mumbled, as she scuffed a small patch of grass with the toe of her boot.

"And this is a bad thing?" Angelus asked, not really seeing a downside to the eldest Summers taking some time away.

Buffy shrugged feeling the guilt all over again. "No! Of course not. I just thought we'd be spending Thanksgiving together, like we always do." She explained.

Angelus was silent as he thought of what to say to that, as he thought he started up a slow steady pace once again, not wanting his girl to thinking that he had to think too hard over what to say to the obvious disappointment she was feeling. "Well, you know…" Angelus began slowly, hoping that he was saying the right thing, not wanting to peak her ire. "There is more than one way to spend Thanksgiving."

Buffy nodded and placed a smile on her face as she squeezed her hand around his arm. "Yeah, I know. It's just… I was sorta looking forward to having some mother/Buffy time. Some normalcy, you know."

"Normal is antiquated." Angelus murmured.

"It's nice sometimes though. No demons to fight, no apocalypses… no hellmouth."

"Just you and Joyce." Angelus added.

Buffy nodded her agreement, before letting out a little sigh. "Yep, not that it is ever likely to happen." Angelus glanced down at her, an idea beginning to form in his sharp mind.

"Well, you never know. You might get what you want this year."

Buffy rolled her eyes in disbelief. "Yeah, and the hellmouth will suddenly start repelling everything that goes bump and grrr in the night." She said sarcastically. Buffy gave her head a shake and smiled up at him, determined to let go of her disappointment. "But you know, you're right, there is plenty of other normal things a girl can do on Thanksgiving."

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

A young male who fashioned his light brownish-blond hair in much the same way that Angelus did, sat on a comfortable lush leather couch in a lavish apartment that had all the props of a bachelor pad, the previous owner lying on a lush rug, puncture wounds decorating the side of his neck, the wounds still slowly oozing blood, that ran in straight gravitational lines across his throat, his lifeless brown eyes staring blanking, the terror he had felt in the brief moments before his death frozen on his lifeless face. Penn payed the dead body no mind as he adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, his eyes focused on the picture he had taken off a local demon. The small blond in the picture staring past the camera, the girl completely unaware that picture was being taken, her expression somewhat solemn.

A small frown darkened his brow as he stared at the picture, he couldn't believe the rumours that his Sire; Angelus The Scourge of Europe had fallen for this little slip of a girl, fallen so hard that it was rumoured amongst the demonic community that she was going to be his mate. Even had a mark on her neck that looked suspiciously like a claiming mark. He'd get to the bottom of it though, he'd meet up with his Sire like was supposed to happen so many years ago, but his Sire had never shown and it had taken him this long to track him down… granted he hadn't put all his effort into it, he'd had plenty of more important things to do then track down a Sire that was probably off having a grand old time and had lost track of time.

Penn dropped the picture back onto the coffee table and relaxed back into the couch, his eyes focusing up on the ceiling and with a sigh, he removed the glasses and tossed them without looking onto the coffee table, they slid over the smooth polished wood coming to rest half on half off the picture of the resident Slayer. His slightly sore eyes beginning to relax immediately now that he had removed the glasses. Getting up with a slight spring in his step, he grabbed his glasses, his gaze sweeping over the face of The Slayer and his Sire's rumoured downfall. Walking towards the door, Penn slid the glasses up his nose and walked out the door, wanting to get the lay of this new town, who knew just how long he would decide to stay. This hellmouth had such a pull, it was addictive. And if he was lucky he'd run into his Sire. Penn smiled broadly at the thought it could be like old times, his smile faded slightly, but first he had to find out about the woman his Sire was set to claim as his own.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

A woman ran as fast as her legs would carry her as she threw frantic looks over her shoulder, her frail human eyes trying to pierce the darkness that had never seemed more frightening in all her eighteen years. She raced around a corner, putting on a burst of speed hoping to lose the predator that was chasing her with a relentless determination. She bumped into what felt like a solid wall, except that a strong hand clamped around her arm preventing her from falling to the ground like she would have done. A cold sharp metal tip was placed against her lips as she gasped, to terrified to scream as she looked up at the horribly distorted features of her attacker. The sharp tipped metal slid from her lips, the unbelievably sharp tip grazing dangerously over her skin, leaving a fine white line as the tip broke only the first layer of skin. Still she could not find her voice through her terror, and could only gasp as the sharp tip truly broke her skin, causing blood to flow as he etched a mark into her cheek.

She watched with wide terrified eyes as he dipped his head towards her, lunging for her throat, but still she could not manage a scream only a pitiful whimper as he sharp fangs pierced her throat without a hint of mercy. Her thoughts were blank as she felt life slipping from her, it was an odd sensation, but not painful, not anymore, a sort of pleasant numbness had over taken her senses. Leaving her with only a strange pleasant feeling with each pull of his mouth upon her neck.

Angelus dropped her lifeless body to the ground, his eyes staring down at her dispassionately…

Angelus opened his eyes with a small jolt as he sat up in his bed the covers falling from him to reveal his naked chest. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed a smile curling up his lips, he could almost feel and taste the blood of the woman he had killed so long ago… he flicked his tongue over his lips as a frown began to pull down his brow. It hadn't really felt like a dream, it was more real… and felt more than a memory. Throwing the blankets off of himself, he got up off the bed and made his way over to his wardrobe. The frown still darkening his brow as his brain flicked over the dream, wondering why it felt so important. The deed happened over a century ago on a visit to his home country. Where he had met a young boy, that was just making his way into being a man, dealing with the same pressures his old man had been putting him through…

Angelus chuckled softly, Penn was more fun than he had originally anticipated. He'd wanted to know what it was like to Sire a Childe. Penn had proven a very ample student, eager to learn and experience everything that he could of his new vampire senses. It was a pity that the gypsies had interfered with his plans of catching up with him. Shrugging on a shirt, he left it gaping as he pulled on a pair of his leather pants, his mind drifting from the dream, to Buffy as he began wondering what she was doing. If she was still dreaming peacefully with her head still on the pillow as the sun was just beginning to struggle over the horizon, mist and frost still dusting the landscape. Angelus smiled softly, as he turned around as he began doing up the small buttons of his silk shirt. His eyes on his sleep rumpled bed.

He could easily picture his Golden Slayer sleeping there, snuggled up under the plush covers, just waiting for him to snuggle back up with her. Angelus swallowed thickly, as a hot bolt of lust shot through him, landing straight in his groin, causing his cock to swell and harden uncomfortably in the soft leather of his pants. He slowly blew out a breath as he silently asked for the patience and discipline to hold out for as long as it took Buffy to feel comfortable enough with him to get hot naked and sweaty with him again. Tearing his eyes away from the bed and the imagined vision of Buffy sleeping in his bed like it was their bed, like it was supposed to be… the whole mansion was supposed to be theirs…

Angelus shook his head as he tucked his shirt into his pants, before he headed out of the room. _'Patience boyo. Patience! You'll win her hand…'_ Angelus smirked. _'Well, her throat.'_ He amended silently, thinking of the mark he would put on her throat when he felt that she was ready to give herself to him completely… like she had done with his pathetic undeserving soul. Grabbing his leather duster from over the bathroom door handle on his way out of the door, making his way towards the front door of the mansion.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus strolled through the early morning sun of Sunnydale. He doubted that he would ever fully get used to being able to feel the sun warming his pale skin without it beginning to smoke, before catching fire. His feet taking him in the direction of the University where he imagined Buffy still snuggly tucked under her blankets. He couldn't help smiling at the imaginary image of Buffy, but he couldn't help wishing that he could be snuggling in with her. That he could say with complete confidence that she was his, that he could claim her as his own, like he should have done when he first became free, instead of… Angelus swallowed thickly and forcefully shoved the thought to the back of his mind. There was nothing he could do about the past, all he could do was prove that their future together would be better, if only she would give him the chance… and she was… just slowly, very slowly. Like a frightened colt looking for the smallest excuse to bolt as fast as she could in any direction that was away from him.

He walked past a street the smile still lingering on his face. His steps faltered slightly as his sensitive nose picked up the scent of death and decay, and he took a couple of steps back so that he could look down the alley, with curious eyes, his smile fading completely to be replaced by a frown as the dream he'd had last night came back to him, and something familiar slid over his senses. His eyes searched the street as he began stepping down the street, his senses focused on the stench of decaying human flesh. Turning down a small alley between two brick houses, his steps slowed to a stop as his eyes landed on the dead body of a young woman. A young woman who looked to be the same age as the woman he'd killed in his dream. As he got closer to the body he realized that there was something else familiar about the woman. She bore a striking resemblance to another woman whose death he had witnessed.

The smile returned to his lips as he remembered explaining to his newly risen Childe the joys of killing ones family. Angelus licked his lips the blood of one's former human family was the sweetest… well almost the sweetest a vampire could sink his fangs into. And none had been more satisfying for him, then to end the life of those who had wished to control him, even if it was just the worthless human that had been given the offence. The smile slipped from his lips once again as he reached the body, as the reality of just what this could mean… it hardly seemed possible it had been so long since he had last clamped eyes on his first turned. Angelus frowned as the implication of what this could do to his forward moving plan for Buffy. What he had taught his Childe would not bode well for his budding relationship with Buffy. The tentative bonds that were forming between them were fragile at the very best.

He wasn't sure if the trust that he was determinedly building between them would survive, if Penn's unexpected visit would keep Buffy from his arms and his bed for that much longer. And he may be a patient demon, but there was only so much any demon could take of being kept apart from his mate. Even if it was from acts of stupidity on his part that was the cause. But, it might just be a coincidence… if he was lucky it would only be a coincidence. He really didn't want to find out how Buffy would react to another of his Children making an appearance. Spike and Drusilla hadn't given her a good impression. Angelus raised a booted foot and nudged the corpses head, the tip of his boot digging into the skin of her cheek, forcing her head to roll to the other side, revealing a very familiar thin cut done by a sharp point in the shape of a cross on her cheek.

Angelus swallowed thickly, a tick going off in his jaw for a moment, as he clenched his teeth together as he looked down at the damning mark. Looking up from the body, he quickly scanned the small alley, glad to see that it was empty. The last thing he needed was for the details of the girl's death to reach that ex-Watcher, he was certain that even if he didn't know the significant now, but he'd soon uncover it and put the spotlight on him. And that kind of spotlight was the last thing he needed where Buffy was concerned.

Angelus bent down to the corpse with a sneer curling his lips as he growled under his breath as he took hold of the dead woman's upper arms. It was bad enough that he still hadn't figured out what Spike was up to… hadn't seen hide or hair of him yet, and that wasn't like his impatient rash Childe. Now he had to deal with Penn and whatever it was that had brought him to the Sunnydale hellmouth.

He dragged the body along the ground, heading towards a man hole that was located in the middle of the road. Stopping by the exit of the small alley, he glanced around, his keen eyes searching every nook and cranny wanting to be sure that no one was around to see him with the body. And he was suddenly more than glad that it was early in the morning, giving him less chance of being spotted by prying eyes as most would be still asleep. His eyes searching the windows for any human like shapes in them, not seeing any peering out the windows, he quickly dragged the corpse over to the man hole, flipping the lid off the manhole he tumbled the body in without ceremony. He glanced around once again just to be certain that no one had come to the windows within the last minute. Not seeing anyone once again, he mounted the ladder and stepped down a few steps, grabbing the lid, he slid it back over the hole and sprang down the rest of the ladder. His feet barely missing the crumpled dead body. Grasping one of the woman's arms once again, he began dragging the corpse behind him, not wanting for a city worker to just open the manhole and come across the body.

A few minutes later Angelus came to a stop, releasing the arm that he was holding, he glanced down at the body, his eyes landing on the damning crossed shaped cut on her cheek for a small moment, before he kicked her into the filthy water. He watched her float for a moment, before the body began to sink in the filthy water. Turning he walked further into the sewer tunnel and turned a corner, swiftly leaving his worries about the body being discovered far behind.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy stood behind a line of yellow tape, set up to keep onlookers from getting too close to the dig sight, her arms crossed over her chest as she watched the Dean of the University as he talked from the podium that had been set up for the speech he was making. She forced herself to keep from switching from foot to foot, not out of cold as some others were doing, but out of slight impatience at having to be here. She'd only come to support Xander in his new job and because Willow had wanted to check it out, almost as much as Anya did. Of course their motives were polar opposites. She supposed that in a way this was interesting, but why did it have to be held so early in the morning… so early that frost still crunched under your feet as you shifted on the green grass. It was a time that she was usually still snuggled up in bed… when she didn't have a ridiculously early morning class.

Buffy's eyes focused more on the wooden podium as Dean Guerrero stepped up to the podium, he shuffled a few small square pieces of paper in his hands and Buffy's eyes narrowed for a moment trying to make out just how many pieces there were. The Dean cleared his throat, the sound echoing through the microphone, before he began his speech. "Of all the duties of a Dean, one of the most pleasant is to see a colleague realize a dream. Ladies and Gentlemen, student, I present to you Professor Gerhardt of the anthropology department." Buffy gave a little sigh of relief as the Dean stepped aside, glad that there hadn't been a long winded speech by the Dean, it was going to be bad enough having to listen to the long winded speech that Professor Gerhardt was going to give.

Beside her Anya sighed with in patience as the female Professor took the Dean's place on the podium. Willow glanced over at the ex-vengeance demon with a slight scowl of annoyance darkening her features, she wanted to be able to focus on the Professor's speech, to hear just what kind of bull she was going to spout, not be distracted by Anya's in patient annoyance that had nothing to do with the real problem. "When I first realized we were outgrowing our current cultural centre, I was concerned." Gerhardt began, as she leaned in towards the microphone. "Then I realized. It was like seeing one's child grow up and move on to better things. In this case, a spacious new facility to be built on this site…"

Anya sighed again, her attention on Xander as he stood on the site, holding a shovel, but not using it as he waited for the speech to be over so that he could begin his work. "Look at him." She sighed dreamily. "Have you ever seen anything so masculine?" She asked as she shifted yet again, this time trying to alleviate the ache that was beginning to form inside her centre.

"You mean, Guerrero or his wife?" Buffy asked, having been paying attention to the speech that the professor was giving and not Anya.

Willow's lips twitched up for a moment, before she smothered it, telling herself that it was rude to laugh at their Deans physical appearance. "I think she means…" Willow trailed off as she gestured towards Xander as he stood in his construction gear which much to Anya's delight showed off his arms.

"Oh." Buffy murmured her gaze turning to Xander. "Very manly." She agreed. "Not at all village people." She lied through her teeth, hoping that it wasn't noticeable in her tone. "So much sexier than his last job." She added wanting to tack on a bit of truth… practically anything would be sexier than the uniform his last job required him to wear.

"Oh, I miss the free hot dogs on sticks." Willow piped in getting a little distracted from the speech that was being given as she remembered that she hadn't taken the time to have breakfast before getting hurried down here by Anya who'd been in a hurry to get here to watch Xander, not having realized that there would be speeches before the construction work would be allowed to begin.

"I'm imagining having sex with him right now." Anya admitted in a breathy voice as she continued to watch Xander, completely unaware of the slightly uncomfortable glances Buffy and Willow gave her neither of them wanting to know about Xander's sex life imaginary or otherwise.

Buffy gave herself a mental shake, trying to rid the image of Xander and Anya together in that way from her minds eye as she turned her attention back to Gerhardt as she continued her speech.

"And that's why it's appropriate that the ground-breaking for the UC Sunnydale cultural partnership centre is taking place so soon before Thanksgiving. Because that's what the melting pot is about; contributions from all cultures, making our culture stronger."

Buffy began to clap with everyone else, but stopped immediately as Willow made a huffing noise. "What a load of horse hooey." The red head muttered with a frown darkening her brow.

"We have a counterpoint?" She asked as she lowered her arms back down to her sides.

"Yeah. Thanksgiving isn't about a blending of 2 cultures. It's about one culture wiping out another. And then they make animated specials about the where, with the maize and big, big belt buckles. They don't show you the next scene, where all the bison die and Squanto takes a musket ball in the stomach."

"Ok. Now, for some of that you were channelling your mother?" Buffy enquired, a slightly bemused expression on her face. She'd never thought that she would see the day that Willow would sound like her mother.

Willow shrugged a little embarrassedly. "Well, yeah, sort of." She mumbled before firming her resolve. "That's why she doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving or Columbus day. You know, the destruction of the indigenous peoples. I know it sounds a little overwrought, but really, she's… She's right."

Buffy turned her gaze from Willow turning it back towards the podium a thoughtful expression on her face. "Yeah. I guess, I never really thought about it that way. With mom at Aunt Darlene's this year, I'm not getting a thanksgiving. Maybe it's just as well." She said with a little shrug, trying to hide that it upset her from Willow.

"Well, I think that's a shame. I love ritual sacrifice." Anya said calmly, her eyes still focused on Xander.

"It's not really one of those." Buffy said.

"To commemorate a past event, you kill and eat an animal. It's a ritual sacrifice with pie." Anya explained. Buffy gave a slight nod of understanding, but didn't voice a reply, her gaze drifting from the podium a movement that caught the attention of the corner of her eye causing her to turn her attention to it and her heart leapt in her chest as she saw Angelus leaning against a tree, her lips curved up in a small smile as he smiled at her as his gaze met hers. She held his gaze for a moment, before she reluctantly tore her gaze from him back to the podium, her feet shifting once again, not from the cold, but from the sudden desire she had to walk over to Angelus, but she stayed put as she worried her lower lip gently with her teeth as much as she wanted to go over to him, she still couldn't bring herself to place all her trust in him, the past still very much a dark cloud over her heart making the still bruised and battered muscle tremble terrified of being shattered by the dark demon once again.

"And thus, a symbolic beginning." Professor Gerhardt finished her speech just as Buffy pulled herself out of her thoughts. She watched distracted her eyes wanting to travel back to Angelus as he stood in front of the tree the sun washing over him in a way that never failed to aw her senses. The Professor took the shovel offered to her and gingerly stuck it in the dirt, pulling up only a shallow amount of dirt, but it was enough to make Anya scowl darkly as she crossed her arms over her chest. "What's she doing?" She demanded to know crossly. "Xander said he was going to dig. I want to see Xander dig." She said a little petulantly.

"That parts just ceremonial." Buffy said in an attempt to reassure the ex-vengeance demon.

"Well, it bites. She's not rippling at all." Her expression brightened as she saw Xander finally plunge his shovel into the dirt. "Oh. Look, there he goes." Her arms uncrossing so that she could clasp her hands in front of her. "Look at him." She sighed dreamily.

"Very… diggy." Willow said uncomfortably, making a conscious effort to not pay too much attention to Xander as he rippled under the Californian sun. not wanting to chance the reoccurrence of past a past mistake that had made her feel like the worst kind of human being.

"Soon he'll be sweating. I'm imagining having sex with him again." Anya admitted breathily, her expression wistful.

"Imaginary Xander is quite the machine." Buffy observed as she watched Xander get into a rhythm with the shovel. She shifted her feet as her head turned, her eyes seeking out Angelus to see if he was still there, her eyes landed on him, her eyes meeting his for the briefest of moments before she turned her gaze away once again a feeling of embarrassment filling her for a moment at being caught looking, before she swallowed as she glanced over at her friends. "Uh, I'll be back in a minute." She murmured drawing both their gazes.

"Ok." Willow said easily.

"What could she possibly have to do that's better than watching Xander dig? I mean look at the way the sun catches on his rippling muscles."

"Well, he does do the diggy thing very well." Willow said, hoping that the wariness that she was feeling about hearing how sexy Anya found Xander wasn't evident in her tone.

"Hey, what brings you here? I didn't think that a university cultural centre thingy would be your thing." Buffy greeted as she came abreast of Angelus.

Angelus shrugged a smile curling up his lips as he watched the sun dance on Buffy's golden haired head. It was a sight the soul had dreamt of seeing and one that affected him more than he thought it could, but then being allowed back in the sunlight after so long was something he was still luxuriating in. "That'd be why I wasn't actually coming to see this."

"Oh really?" Buffy said, her voice slightly teasing as she smiled up at him.

Angelus inclined his head slightly. "I was actually on my way to see a pretty blond, who I actually imagined would still be sleeping."

"Oh, I wish." Buffy sighed, her eyes feeling tired once again at the reminder of the early hour. "But, Anya really wanted to see Xander dig, and Willow thought that it might be interesting to watch the ground breaking ceremony of the new Cultural Centre."

"And you?" Angelus asked genuinely curious about how his soon to be mate felt.

"I thought that it would be nice to support my friends. Of course when I agreed I didn't realize that another early morning would be involved especially on a day I actually get a sleep in." Buffy blinked trying to get rid of the tiredness that was making her eyelids feel heavy with the need for sleep. "So was there a reason behind the early morning visit you were planning?"

Angelus smirked. "Does seeing you all cute and bed rumpled count as a reason?"

"No, not really?" Buffy said with a slightly cheeky smile curling up her own lips in response to his.

"Then no, no real reason." He murmured.

Buffy couldn't supress the smile or the warm glow of the happiness that she was feeling in that moment. She was about to say something, but it never got past being a thought in her mind as the earth underneath their feet shook and there was gasps and screams coming from the crowd drawing Buffy's attention away from him, her happiness turning to worry, causing Angelus to frown in annoyance, unable to help hating all the interruptions, it seemed like all events where conspiring against him for the longest time now. "Xander." Buffy murmured worriedly, before rushing back towards Willow and Anya.

Angelus crossed his arms over his chest once again the frown still darkening his face as he watched Buffy hover behind the tape, her entire body speaking of her anxiety for the annoying boy she happened to call friend. "Would it be too much to ask that the fall snapped his pathetic little neck." He muttered a little sarcastically, knowing that the way his luck was lately that it wouldn't be. Giving his girl one last look he turned and began slowly walking away, knowing that she wouldn't be giving him any more attention whilst the simpering fool was stuck down in the hole he'd fallen in.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander groaned in pain as he slowly tried to sit himself up. "Uhh, ow!" He groaned. He could hear voice calling down to him and looking up with a wince he saw people… his work buddies peering down anxiously. "I'm ok!" he shouted up at them, before lowering his head back to a more normal angle that didn't hurt as much. "I'm, uh… "I'm ok." He assured himself as he ran his hands over his sore body to make sure everything was still where it was supposed to be. "Where am I ok?" He asked, his eyes skirting around the dark cavern he'd fallen into, not noticing a green mist that rose into the air ominously making a direct beeline for him.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy stared out the window of her and Willow's dorm room, her eyes searching the darkness an unsettled feeling in her stomach making her feel as if there was something out there in the darkness on the campus. But there was a small chance that her angsty feeling was due to the disappointment she'd felt at finding that Angelus had disappeared sometime during the commotion caused by Xander's plummet through the earth, but she doubted that that was the case. The feeling was the tingling sensation of her senses when they picked up a demonic presence close by. Unaware of her friends distraction Willow continued talking away happily. "While they were pulling, Xander out, I heard a couple of the anthro professors talking about it. Man, were they excited. It's the old Sunnydale mission, which everyone thought was lost."

"Huh?" Buffy questioned dumbly, only just really becoming aware that Willow had been talking to her, and felt embarrassed by her distraction.

"The old lost Sunnydale mission…" Willow turned her gaze to Buffy to see her friend still staring out the window into the night. "Is there something out there?" She asked a little worriedly.

"Hmm?" Buffy murmured, before she put the pieces together and tore her gaze from the college campus below her window, a slight blush colouring her cheeks. "Oh. No." She lied, not wanting to worry her friend, not when she couldn't be positive of what she was feeling when she was in a dorm room and whatever it was she was feeling was out there. "I'm sorry. A lost mission. I mean, a hairbrush I can understand. And by the way, I will find that and get that back to you." She promised sheepily. "But how do you lose a mission?" She asked, not really expecting an answer, but wasn't surprised when Willow gave her a factual one.

"Huge earthquake in 1812. Everyone just assumed the mission was levelled. Instead they built right over it. It's like what happened in the thirties with that church The Master was in." She commented missing the slight flinch of pain that flickered across Buffy's face as she couldn't help, but remember the brief moments, before her death at The Masters hand. "Doesn't it make you wonder what else is there, like, right under our feet?"

Buffy forced herself to move away from the window, stepping towards Willow. "Mostly, I've just found sewers full of demons… and other unmentionables."

"Unmentionables? What could be more unmentionable then demons in the sewers?" Willow asked curiously.

"The stuff that's supposed to be in the sewers." Buffy replied with a smile, causing Willow to give a small laugh.

"Oh, right. Those are unmentionables." She agreed a smile still tugging at her lips. Their attention was diverted by the sound of student hurrying down the hallway with heavy steps and loud voices filled with excitement. "Man, it's crazy out there."

"Mm-hmm." Buffy agreed with a nod of her head. "Post midterm frenzy. And the holiday. Everyone's going home."

"It looks like a lot of lucky moms are gonna be getting brimming baskets of dirty laundry." Willow observed.

"It's so not fair." Buffy said with a small pout, momentarily forgetting about her tingling senses in favour of her disappointment of not being able to spend Thanksgiving with her mom like she'd done every year as far back as she could remember. "I mean, they all get a family holiday just because they can go home to their families."

"Hmm, it's a turvy-topsy world." Willow said, not catching the disappointment behind Buffy's tone, as she didn't feel any such connection to the holiday.

"You know what?" Buffy asked, hit by a sudden epiphany. "I should have my own thanksgiving. I can cook the meal, just like my mom does, have all you guys over. It'll be great." She promised excitedly, a happy light dancing in her eyes.

Willow frowned slightly at Buffy sudden turn about. "Buffy, earlier you agreed with me about Thanksgiving. It's a sham. It's all about death." She reminded her blond friend, with a pointed stare.

Buffy gave a sheepish shrug, knowing that she had been caught out. "It's a sham," She agreed. "But it's a sham with yams. It's a yam sham." She quipped, with a small smile.

Willow only frowned further though. "You're not gonna jokey-rhyme your way out of this one." She warned.

"I know…" Buffy said apologetically as she sat herself down beside her red headed friend. "But I want it." She said a slight pleading note to her voice. "It's like professor Walsh was saying about sense memory. I smell a roasting turkey, and I'm 8 years old. I liked having that to look forward to. Everything's different now." Buffy said sadly.

Willow squirmed under Buffy's sad pleading gaze. "Well, I suppose there could be slight yams." She yielded.

"I mean, we could definitely use a little comfort food. I bet Giles doesn't have any plans. And Xander always tries to avoid all of his family gatherings." Buffy went on enthusiastically.

"Ooh. We could not invite, Anya." Willow suggested hopefully.

"I don't know." Buffy said a little uncertainly, she knew that Anya could be a little overwhelming, but that wasn't a reason to not invite her. "She and Xander seem pretty tight lately." She reminded Willow, who looked down at the carpeted floor of their dorm room. "Look, pilgrims aside, isn't it that the whole point of Thanksgiving? Everybody has a place to go?" Buffy asked her friend.

Willow looked up from the floor and nodded grudgingly. "I suppose your right. It's just that she's so… so…"

"Cordelia-esk? Only to a much more vocal degree?" Buffy suggested.

Willow nodded in agreement. "Exactly!" She paused and gave Buffy a startled look. "You're not inviting Cordelia are you?"

Buffy gave a slightly guilty shrug. "I was thinking about it." She admitted. "She was… is a friend… sort of, and she did… you know… sort of become part of the gang. I thought it would be nice to at least invite her. It's highly doubtful she'll come. She's probably far too busy becoming a star to come back to Sunnydale."

"You're probably right." Willow said a little grudgingly, things between her and Cordelia had still be strained when the brunette had left for L.A with the hopes of making it big like she had always wanted.

Buffy stood once again, stretching her arms up above her head, before wandering over to her bed and pulling the bag out from underneath her bed with a solid tug, and pulled open the zipper revealing the weapons inside to her gaze. Reaching in she pulled out her stake. "Going patrolling?" Willow asked as she watched her blond friend hide the weapon expertly on her body, before pulling out another and doing the same thing.

Buffy nodded as she stood and nudged the bag back under the bed. "Yeah, just a quick one. I'll probably just do a sweep of the campus unless there's an overabundance of demony happenings."

"Well good luck." Willow offered. Buffy smiled her appreciation, before walking out of their dorm room and closing the door quietly behind her.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy walked through the dark campus grounds, her eyes searching for the demon or vampire that was making her senses tingle. She'd started at the spot she had been looking out over from her dorm room window, but there had been nothing there, not that she expected anything thing to hang around waiting for her to find it, but she'd hoped that there'd be some trace of it. So now she was walking the campus grounds, hunting for the demon she was sensing. The feeling felt rather familiar… but at the same time it didn't fit any vampire or demon she'd come across in all her years of Slaying the nasties of the night.

She paused in her steps, her eyes scanning the grounds, her Slayer enhanced eyes piercing the dark better than that of a humans as she spotted a couple making out heatedly and without her bidding a sad sigh escaped her as she couldn't help remember all those times she'd made out with Angel just as heatedly whilst out on patrol. Buffy turned her gaze away from the couple and began walking again, a sudden desire burning in her heart to abandon her patrol to go in search of Angelus and discover why he had left in such a hurry this morning and perhaps steal a few kisses from him… or perhaps she wouldn't… Buffy sighed feeling rather put out by her conflicted emotions where the dark vampire was concerned. She wasn't used to feeling a fear so deep that it made her cautious to even trust again let alone open her heart once again. She just wanted everything to be good again… she wanted her heart to stop hurting.

Buffy was pulled out of her thoughts by a rustling in the bushes to her right and she silently cursed herself for being so distracted by her thoughts whilst patrolling for a demon. Slowly her hand went to her lower back where one of her stakes were concealed. Her fingertips where only just brushing the smoothed wood when a cute rabbit hopped out of the bushes, the rabbits beady eyes looked at her and its nose twitched in the way their pink little noses do, before deciding that she was a threat and hopping off in a hurried manner. Buffy let out a sigh and shook her head at the surprise her own folly had caused her. Lowering her hand from her concealed stake she began to move on, but paused as something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Walking back towards the bush that the rabbit had hopped out of.

Making her way around the bush she frowned, her breath hitching in her throat as she laid eyes on the body of a young boy. A boy that would only be in perhaps his second year of Junior high. Her eyes took in the thin cross shaped cut on his cheek and she stared down at the boy with sad eyes. She forced herself to keep looking at the poor boy, or at least the cut that had been so carefully carved into his cheek, by a fine pointed instrument. Sensing a presence tingling up her spine in an unpleasant way she whirled around her hand automatically reaching for her stake and bringing it out into the open, before she had even come to a complete stop. Her eyes landing on a male vampire that was looking at her with calculating eyes, and she found herself slightly surprised at just how much he looked like Angelus, not physically, but in his sense of style. His hair spiked up with gel and his clothes, but his face thou handsome was nothing compared to Angelus'.

Penn stared at the petite woman that his senses told him was The Slayer and her sent intermingled with his Sires on her body answering the rumours that had brought his search for his Sire to this Hellmouth. "So, I take it that this is your handy work?" Buffy said in a calm voice that belied the feeling of grief she felt at knowing that the boy was dead. Dead before he'd really had a chance to live.

"Well, he reminded me of a boy I once knew. And I couldn't help reminiscing." Penn said, a dark half smirk curling up his lips. He cocked his head to the side slightly as he looked her over with annoyed eyes. "And I take it that you're The Slayer that turned my Sire's head."

Buffy frowned staring at him, his words ringing unpleasantly in her ears. "Angelus." She murmured softly, not sure that she wanted to believe it. Her eyes met his for the briefest moment, before the supposed Childe of Angelus moved to attack her.

Buffy ducked under the arm that had struck out at her and on light feet she swivelled so that she was behind him, before rising back up to her full height forcing him to turn around to face her. As he did, she took the opportunity to throw her own punch, hoping to knock him off balance whilst his feet were moving. Penn saw the small fist coming and angled his head back trying to avoid the blow, but the edge of her fist still managed to catch him. The power behind even the glancing blow surprised him though, causing him to stumble a little. Buffy pressed her advantage as she followed through with a kick to the male vampires side, the force behind it sending him to the side and to the ground.

Penn gave his head a shake a growl rumbling in his chest as his face shifted in his anger as he looked up at the petite blond Slayer as she advanced on his, her arm going behind her back only for her to quickly in a fluid motion bring her arm back around in front of her a wooden stake fisted in her hand. Penn scrambled to his feet with another growl, his eyes going from the stake to her angrily flashing hazel eyes, trying to anticipate her next move. Buffy shifted her balance as she aimed a roundhouse kick to his head, only for the vampire to block the blow. She swivelled on her still grounded foot, using her momentum to turn, the hand clutching her stake shifting coming up level with where she knew the vampires un-beating heart rested. Pivoting on her foot she planted the one that she had kicked at him with to give her thrusting arm more power as she moved to slam her stake into the vampire's chest. Her thrusting motion was stopped though by his arm blocking it, before his hand closed around her arm, using his free hand he slapped her hand, knocking the stake from her hand sending it flying.

Buffy sucked in a sharp breath as the vampire yanked her forward, but not against his body, but towards the solid trunk of a tree that was beside the shrubbery that the boy's body was hiding in. her head connected solidly with the tree dazing her. And as he released her, she stumbled back her head spinning a little. Before she could steady herself she tripped over the foot Penn had extended and she fell back, her body slamming into the unforgiving ground and she winced, her breath escaping her in a whoosh leaving her winded. Penn stepped up to her, raising a foot he lowered it down on her throat. With a swift movement as her head cleared of the cobwebs, she grasped the foot that was threating her air supply, her eyes peering up at him through the darkness. "What does Angelus see in you?" He asked with a scowl. Buffy scowled back not appreciating the barb. With an effort she pushed his foot away from her throat forcing him to stumble back from her to keep his footing.

She was going to jump to her feet with a strong push of her hands on the soft grass that she was laying on, but the vampire jerked his head to the right, his head cocking as if he was listening and then with a last look at her that warned her that this wasn't over he ran off, disappearing quickly into the darkness. Buffy sat herself up her eyes focused on the spot the vampire had disappeared. Her gaze was drawn from the spot though as the reason for his sudden disappearing act became apparent as a group of three college boys came into view. They slid their gaze carefully over her and continued on walking and Buffy pulled herself to her feet, blinking as she felt something warm and sticky run from a spot that was throbbing on her forehead. Buffy sighed to herself as she wiped at it and her fingers came away with blood just as she knew they would. Pulling out a cloth she wiped the blood from her fingers, before dabbing it at her forehead where she could feel the healing cut throbbing as blood oozed out from the small thin cut.

Bringing the cloth away when the angry throbbing stopped in her forehead she glanced at the blood staining it and sighed softly, hoping that if the cut wasn't gone by the morning that makeup would easily hide it, she didn't feel like having to explain away a cut. Not when all she really wanted was a little bit of normalcy. It was a wish that seemed to be fading before her eyes though, having to deal with the unexpected appearance of another of Angelus' Children. Spike floating in and out of town was bad enough, she doubted that she would get much normal girl time… even less then she did now if another one decided to join the mix.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

In a forested area at the edge of a cemetery Spike trudged miserably as he huddled in blanket as his body shook with minor trembles that he was sure would get worse the longer that he didn't… couldn't feed. And he was sure now that he couldn't! Couldn't bite the neck of even an old hag that was about to croak. Spike pulled the blanket tighter around him, hoping that keeping himself warm would ease the shakes that he was experiencing. Never had he felt the effects of weather before, but now… now a cold was seeping in on him, clutching at him and he knew that it was a bad sign considering that he hadn't been able feed in over a week! He had to find a way to fix it! A vampire who couldn't even harm a hair on a humans head let alone feed on one would be more of a laughing stock then even his Sire when he'd been cursed with his soul! Spike growled lowly as that thought crossed his mind, his growl turned into a dry haggard cough.

Spike paused in his steps a hand coming up to clutch at his throat. "Damn it!" He groaned angrily, before continuing on his way, not wanting to be caught again. He knew that the commando wackos were out there looking for him… and the way he was now, he couldn't even defend himself let alone kill them like they deserved!

Riley walked with Graham and Forrest in the forest that they had swept twice already, much to his companions annoyance, not that he blamed them, it being thanksgiving, but with a hostile on the loose it had to take precedence over their personal desires. "Man, I'm beat." Forrest groaned pointedly as they paused and he adjusted the strap of his military approved gun on his shoulder.

"We'll do one more sweep, then cash it in." Riley promised as he began walking once again, his eyes scanning for the peroxide blond hostile.

Forrest sighed quietly trying not to let his friend and commanding officer know that he was over being out here hunting for a thing that couldn't hurt a hair on a human head. "I gotta pack tonight." He said hoping that Riley would get the hint. "You got a flight?"

"Wednesday night. Professor Walsh wants me here for the debriefing." Riley explained, without a hint of resentment.

"That's a pretty short thanksgiving." Forrest said surprised, glancing over at the quiet Graham who was diligently scanning the area for hostile 17.

"Hey, with a hostile on the loose, we're lucky to be going home at all." Riley defended Walsh unwaveringly.

Forrest rolled his eyes, his gaze focusing on Riley. "It's neutered. The implant works great. He can't hurt a single living thing."

"As long as he knows about the initiative, he's a threat. We do this the Professor's way." Riley said as he stepped over a root that was sticking out of the ground.

Forrest shifted his gun once again and raised a hand to his mouth his fingers curled to make a loose fist. "Mama's boy." He coughed into the hand.

"That's a nasty cough." Riley said with a false joviality. "You might need to spend the weekend in quarantine."

Forrest swallowed not wanting to have his Thanksgiving ruined by a stay in the quarantine facility. "Oh, no. I'm done coughing." He promised.

Riley smiled. "I just don't want anyone getting sick." He said, patting Forrest on his broad shoulder, and couldn't help a chuckle as Forrest walked ahead, his head turning from left to right as he scanned. He shared a look with Graham and they smiled at each other.

Graham clapped a hand on Riley's shoulder. "Come on, some of us have a Thanksgiving plane to catch tonight." He said and the two of them moved after Forrest, neither of them wanting to stay out longer than they had to.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy stepped into the mansion through the side entrance that was only covered by the thick black curtain, running one of her hands up and down her opposite arm as she looked around the mansion, nervousness coursing through her as she slowly walked towards the dark fire place that only had the cold black embers from the last time Angelus had lit the fire for warmth, which would have been months ago. She looked at the black coals, she could feel Angelus in the mansion and could feel him coming closer. Knowing that he was coming just because he felt her made a small smile curl up her lips, despite the reason why she had come to see him. It was nice knowing that he wasn't going to make her search for him all through the mansion like he used to.

Buffy shivered as she forced back old memories that refused to stop haunting her, and tormenting her despite how often she told… or tried to tell herself that it was all in the past. She felt Angelus coming closer and she fought to turn her full attention to the matter at hand. She wasn't here to hash over old issues. She couldn't stop another shiver that ran down her back, before she could stop it. "Are you cold? I could get the minions to get the fire started." Angelus offered, his keen eyes taking note of her shiver as he continued to walk towards her.

Buffy turned around a little surprised, she hadn't expected him to get here so soon. "Ah, no. That's ok. I'm not staying long."

Angelus curled his lips up into a half smile as he came closer. "That's disappointing. Are you sure that I can't persuade you to stay… longer…" His voice trailed off as his dark eyes caught sight of the healing cut on her forehead that was scabbing over, but still there, a small amount of dried blood clinging to the skin around the wound. "What happened?" He asked with concern. It wasn't very often that his Slayer came home with bruises and cuts from a fight and with Penn in town…

Buffy raised a hand to her cut, but didn't touch it, before she lowered her hand again feeling a little self-conscious about what she had to bring up. "That's kinda why I'm here." Buffy murmured softly. "The vampire that attacked me tonight… said a few things…" Buffy said a little uncomfortably.

Angelus frowned a little, instinctively knowing that it had to have been Penn. What other vampire could say things that would bring her running here. "What things?" Angelus asked, silently hoping that whatever was said wouldn't be anything that would harm the fragile trust and caring that she was beginning to show him.

Buffy forced herself to meet his eyes, she had nothing to feel uncomfortable about! That vampire had not only killed a boy, but had taken the time to etch a cross into his young cheek. "He said that you were his Sire. And uh, the boy he killed had a cross cut into his cheek. And I'm talking a real cross, not just a little stick figure-y one." Buffy explained hoping that the extra information would help identify which Childe of his had once again come town.

Angelus raised a hand gently touching her hair. "And he's the one who did this to you?" He asked, needing to know. Needing to know if his Childe had dared to try and hurt the woman that would one day be his mate.

Buffy gave a little shrug, not knowing how much more serious the idea of his Childe hurting her was to Angelus. "Well, there were certain blows exchanged… and certain tree trunks." Buffy mumbled. "Tree trunks are not head friendly by the way."

Angelus couldn't stop the smile, his hand running down her hair. "I don't suppose they would be."

Buffy leaned her head into his touch a soft sigh of pleasure escaping her, before she pulled herself together. "So, uh, do you know him?" Buffy asked. Angelus lowered his hand from her silky hair, his body stiffening as he felt the presence of a vampire he hadn't felt in a long time enter his home.

"He should do. He made me." Penn said as he walked further away from the curtained entrance of the mansion. He moved his gaze from one to the other before settling it on his Sire. "Angelus, it's been a long time."

Angelus frowned at his Childe a low growl rumbling in his chest as he stared at Penn. "Penn." Behind him he felt Buffy shift into a defensive stance, glancing behind him, Angelus caught a glimpse of her stake and he felt a dread well up inside of him, feeling torn between his family and the woman he claimed as his. Buffy shifted, her eyes focused on Penn as she stepped around Angelus, her hand tightened around her stake, more than willing to put a stop to Penn's murderous rampage now.

Buffy went to swiftly move to attack Angelus' Childe only for strong familiar arms to halt her progress before she could even get started. "Angelus! What are you doing?" Buffy demanded as she struggled against his hold. Angelus grunted as he fought to keep her strength contained in his arms. Her arm flung back catching him in the face making him growl, before he caught her arm. He tried to make his grip as gentle as possible without releasing her, not wanting to hurt her any more than this already would. "What are you doing?!" Buffy demanded again, flashes of past experiences making her struggle harder and the hot prick of tears stab at the backs of her eyes, but she forced them back, it wasn't the time to focus on that! It was past! It was supposed to be in the past!

"I'm sorry." Angelus murmured softly, so softly that only Buffy's ears could pick it up, not wanting Penn to hear. It wouldn't do for Penn to know that there was trouble between them. He grunted as Buffy's elbow jabbed him in the gut. He turned angry eyes to Penn. "You should go. Go now!" Angelus growled as he felt the arm holding Buffy against him starting to give way against her strength. When Penn didn't move he snarled his face shifting angrily. "I said go!" He snarled. "I'll deal with you later." He promised darkly.

Penn shrugged not overly concerned. "I'm sure you'll know how to find me." He smirked, before turning and walking out of the mansion the way that he came in.

Angelus watched him go not losing his grip on Buffy for a few moments not wanting her to be able to go after his Childe. Buffy pulled away from him with a violent movement putting distance between them as her chest heaved with her every breath, before she pivoted on her heal one small hand already clenched in a tight fist, before she had even stopped moving she pulled her arm back and snapped it forward with all the power and speed of The Slayer landing a solid blow to his cheek just above his jaw bone, forcing his head to snap to the side. Angelus kept his head angled back for a moment as he rotated his jaw hearing it click a little once or twice, before the slight damage healed. With a slow movement he turned his head back to face her angry face. "Buffy." He said softly, with a tone that he hoped would at least calm her a little.

"What where you doing, Angelus?!" Buffy demanded, her voice almost a shout as she glared at him with flashing angry eyes.

"I couldn't just allow you to kill him." Angelus murmured, his voice still soothing, wanting to stroke down her ruffled feathers. "He is my Childe." He added in explanation, not wanting Penn to become yet another barrier between him and his mate, it was hard enough with everything that already lay between them and their road to happiness.

"And for that reason he should be allowed to kill and whatever else he wants in my town!" Buffy asked incredulously, anger still colouring her voice, her emotions so high that mere words were not enough that she had to use her arms to emphasis her words. "Just because you did an exchange of blood however many centuries ago?!"

Angelus took a small step towards her. "He is part of my family, Buff. My saving him from your stake had nothing to do with you."

Buffy gave him an incredulous look, her eyes searching his face. "Nothing to do with me?! I'm The Slayer! So, it has everything…" Buffy trailed off with an angry shake of her head, before she whirled around on her heal and stormed with angry strides out of the mansion, not bothering to look for Penn as he was not even the slightest blip on her senses.

Angelus hesitated a long moment as he paced in a small circle, his pride warring with the worry that was curling in his stomach at the idea of another barrier between them, all because she didn't understand… with a soft snarl Angelus hurried after his future mate, her small figure still visible to his keen eyes as she descended the hill heading towards the street. Catching her before she could reach the main street, Angelus caught her arm, bringing her to a stop. "Buffy." He called as she jerked her arm from his grip.

Buffy took a deep breath to try and steady herself, before she turned around to face him. "What?" Buffy demanded, her voice breaking slightly.

Angelus blew out a sighing breath. "He is my family, and I may have staid your hand for that reason, but if he was to ever to dare to attack you again, I'll kill him myself." He promised.

Buffy stared at him for a long moment not sure what she should say in response to such a promise. On one hand it made her feel special, made her feel as if she truly did mean something to him, but on the other hand, she was The Slayer she didn't have the luxury of thinking only of herself, she had to think of the town. Buffy lowered her gaze to the grass beneath her feet, resisting the urge to shuffle them over the grass. Her heart was beating uncomfortably in her chest. Her mouth opened slightly to speak before she snapped it shut again. With a last look at him Buffy turned and continued on her way, forcing herself to not look back at the vampire she loved.

Angelus watched her walk away from him, her shoulders slumped making her determined walk away from him look like a miserable trudge. He swallowed thickly, before sighing a low growl of frustration escaping him, the world was being rather cruel towards him, but it wasn't going to hold him back, he wouldn't allow anything to get in the way… especially not his Childe Penn… family or not… and he'd be sure to let his first Childe know it.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander groaned as he painstakingly did up the buttons to the shirt he wore for his construction job. His skin was sweaty and pallid, each breath he took felt painful and his muscles ached all over each movement he made to get dressed and ready for work had been a torturous chore, but he couldn't afford to not go, no matter how bad he felt. Anya walked down the steps to the basement a put up frown marring her brow as she descended the steps into the basement, her eyes landing on Xander as he finished doing up the last button of his work shirt. "Xander, what are you doing?" Anya asked as she walked towards him. "You're supposed to be digging." She said with a pout. "I went to watch you digging, and you weren't there doing it."

"I'm going now." Xander said a little weakly. "Just… kinda tough getting going today."

Anya frowned in concern as she eyed his pallid colour, reaching out she touched his forehead. "Your head is moist." She said matter-of-factly. "Oh! You're sick." She exclaimed with sudden clarity. "Well, you can't go to work."

Anya pushed him back onto his bed. "Uh. Oh. Anya?" Xander said weakly, as the sudden movement made his head spin and his stomach roll with nausea.

"You're pasty and wet and disgusting. They can dig without you." She said determinedly.

Xander groaned unhappily as his body trembled. "Look… I don't really feel that bad." He tried half-heartedly.

Anya crossed her arms over her chest. "I inflicted a lot of putrefying diseases on men when I was an avenging demon, and you look like you're getting all of them."

Xander's stomach rolled very unhappily and so he gave in, he didn't really feel like going anyway. "Ok. I'll stay. But you should go. You could catch it." He muttered despondently.

Anya smiled happiness bubbling up inside of her at his show of concern. "We'll die together. It's romantic." She said with a little dreamy sigh. "Let me get your trousers off." She beamed, her hands gripping his pants as they began diligently working on getting his pants off him when he didn't want to move to help her at all.

"You're a strange girlfriend." Xander mumbled, his eyes half closed, but his gaze still focusing on her.

Anya paused in her struggle with his pants, a happy smile curling up her lips. "I'm a girlfriend?" She asked happily, not having expected to hear that from him.

"Uh…" Xander said as he tried to get his foggy brain to think, he'd been thinking that she was his girlfriend, but he hadn't been ready to take that step with her… "There's a chance I'm delirious." He muttered stuffily.

Anya nodded, agreeing to the logic of that. "Ah, yes. Well, whatever it is that's making you sick, so far, I like it." She said perkily as she went back to herself imposed task of removing his pants.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Professor Gerhardt paced back and forth excitedly around her office as she spoke into the phone. "It's a very exciting opportunity. I can't wait to go down there myself. It's just… Well, it means we're going to have to start looking for a new location." She paused as she listened to the other person talking. "No, it's really up to the dean. I just hope this doesn't cost us another year…" She paused again listening and nodded in understanding, before remembering that she was on the phone. "Ok. Talk to you later.

The professor hung up the phone as a green smoke, the same green smoke that had risen up when Xander had fallen into the lost mission, materialized once again around an ancient knife. The professor turned around, her eyes landing on the knife and she frowned in confusion at seeing the green smoke that was surrounding the knife. Walking over to it she looked at it, blinking her eyes trying to clear them to see if she was seeing things. Slowly reaching into the glass case to pull it out of the glass, she let out a surprised cry of shock and fear as a hand fisted itself in her hair and an arm reached in and grabbed the knife. She looked as best she could at her attacker her eyes wide as she took in the ancient Native American garb he was wearing, the paint on his face and the colour of his skin. She let out a cry that was cut short by the sharp old blade of the knife being expertly wielded by the man being brought against her throat, the sharp edge easily slicing through the delicate skin, making blood gush from her throat in a rush as she quickly died the light fading from her eyes as the Indian let her go and she dropped lifelessly to the ground.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy stood with Willow in professor Gerhardt's office looking around the scene now that the cops had left allowing them to sneak their way into the building. "I'll never get used to this." Willow said sadly. "One day, she's at the friendship ceremony. The next day, she's on the news." Buffy nodded a little distractedly, she was trying to focus her thoughts, but she was finding it hard, she couldn't keep Angelus out of her head, what he'd said, his expression… what she'd said… and now she couldn't stop the niggling feeling in her stomach… a niggly feeling she was all too familiar with… one that she had hoped to not feel again… at least not for a very long time. "The coroner's office said that she was missing an ear. So, I'm thinking… maybe we're looking for a witch. There's some spells that work much better with an ear in the mix." She explained

"That's one fun little hobby you've got there, Will." Buffy commented with a slight crinkling of her nose at the idea of cutting off someone's ear to put in a witch's brew.

"Or… or maybe an ear harvesting demon that… it's like, building another demon completely out of ears. Or… Ooh, thought. We're just assuming someone else cut off the ear." Willow said excitedly, causing Buffy to raise an eyebrow at her. "What if its self-inflicted, like Van Gogh?"

"So…" Buffy said slowly as she pretended to think it through. "She brutally stabs herself, dumped the body, then cut off her own ear?"

"No. She cut off her own ear, then killed herself, then dumped the body…" Willow trailed off as she thought more about what exactly what she was saying. "I'm really off my game, aren't I?"

Buffy nodded with a smile curling up her lips. "Yeah." She murmured, before turning her gaze back to the office, her eyes going to a long glass case in front of her and she frowned as she saw a small wooden stand that was empty. "Wait. Something's missing from this case." Bending down a little to read the inscription beneath the empty stand. "Early 1800 Chumash Knife. There's a picture."

"What's it look like?" Willow asked curiously as she walked over to Buffy to take a look herself.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"Pretty darn scary. It's more like a riot than a ralph's." Buffy said as she set out what she had bought from the store on Giles kitchen table. "I thought I was going to have to use Slayer moves on this one woman who was completely hoarding the pumpkin pie filling." Buffy babbled to Giles, her eyes flicking over what she had set out with a critical eye, mentally running through everything she had seen her mom doing to make Thanksgiving dinner for them.

"And at some point, you are going to tell me about the murder?" Giles inquired, his tone rather pointed as he watched Buffy in his kitchen as she began looking through his cupboards.

Buffy glanced up at him, before closing the cupboard door and straightening. "Oh right. The knife was some sort of Indian artefact. Chumash, I think." Buffy said with a slight frown trying to remember the name she had read and the way Willow had pronounced it at the office. "That's all we got." Buffy said as she went to another cupboard and opened it, her gaze searching, as she tried to keep her mind distracted with thoughts of the normal dinner she was preparing for her friends and family.

"Oh, Chumash Indians. They were indigenous to this whole area." Giles explained, his tone filled with interest.

"That's interesting." Buffy said distractedly as she closed that cupboard a frown creasing her brow at her lack in luck at finding what she was looking for.

Giles took off his glasses. "Then of course , the murder weapon might have just been a convenient choice." He observed, cleaning the frame with the end of his shirt for a moment, before placing them back over his eyes.

"Uh-uh." Buffy disagreed with a shake of her head as she turned to look at Giles. "There was a big ol' scissors lying right there. That knife was picked for a reason." Buffy turned her gaze about Giles kitchen before she turned it back to Giles a small worried frown creasing her brow. "Do you even own a turkey pan?"

"Tell me again why we're not doing this at your house?" Giles asked.

"Giles, if you would like to get by in American society, then you are going to have to follow our traditions. You're the patriarch. You have to host the festivities, or it's all meaningless." Buffy assured him as she walked past Giles and into the living area.

Giles followed her. "And this is in no way an elaborate scheme to stick me with the clean up?" He asked.

"How about that ceremonial knife, huh?" Buffy said hoping that she sounded and looked more convincing then she felt. "Pretty juicy piece of clueage, don't you think?" She said with a winning smile.

Giles smiled slightly not at all convinced, but caved not really minding at all. "Yes, all right, I'll look into the Chumash connection and see if there's any ritual significance to the ear removal.

"Thank you." Buffy said, before she paused her eyes loosing focus.

"You all right?" Giles asked in concern.

Buffy focused her eyes back on Giles. "Yeah. Uh… I still need to pick up a few things, so I'll check in." Buffy moved towards the door, but paused and whirled around to face Giles a serious expression on her face. "And keep your hands off the food." She ordered.

"Oh, I'll try and restrain myself from eating uncooked potatoes and cranberries." Giles said sarcastically as Buffy walked out his front door, closing the door quietly behind her.

Buffy sighed as she walked out of the courtyard of the condos, all she'd wanted was a nice normal holiday, no slayage, no murders, no vampires Angelus had Sired… just friends and family, but with each passing hour it seemed less and less likely, but despite everything she still wanted to try to have Thanksgiving. She probably should have told Giles about Penn, but she couldn't bring herself to. Couldn't bring herself to say 'hey another Childe of Angelus' has come to town and seems intent on making mayhem. Oh and Angelus doesn't want him killed.' Buffy shook her head, she'd figure something out, she always did… and Angelus…

Buffy's lower lip started to tremble, she didn't want to lose him! Things were finally starting to look up for her… for them. He'd been being so understanding, so caring, and she'd been starting to feel cautiously happy, and hopeful for a happy future… but… there was so many things that stood between them… and she was beginning to see that it wasn't just their past…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy entered the dorm room she shared with Willow, closing it softly behind her, her eyes landing on the red head as she looked up from the course book she had opened on her lap as she sat on her bed. Willow gave Buffy a slightly guilty smile as she closed the book, it was a smile that Buffy weakly returned, not quiet able to muster a genuine one for her friend, not with the way she was feeling at the moment. "Couldn't help yourself, huh?" She commented.

Willow gave a little shrug as she got up, the closed book in her hands. "Well, you know… I just wanted to make sure I had a few things down for when classes started back up again."

"Nerd." Buffy said fondly as Willow set the book down on her desk.

"Beer-aholic." Willow said just as playfully.

"Ooh, foamy!" Buffy said playing along making Willow laugh, and Buffy felt a more natural smile curl up her lips. The first one since she'd visited Angelus earlier that night.

Before either of them could say anything else the phone rang, drawing their attention away from each other. Buffy moved towards the phone and picked the phone up from the cradle. "Hello?" She spoke into the phone, before she fell silent as she listened to the familiar voice on the other end. A voice that was more full of life and happier than it had been it had been the last time she had heard it. Buffy leaned against the bed stand as she listened to the speaker, nodding pointlessly at appropriate intervals, knowing that she wouldn't get a word in edge wise. Her gaze landed on Willow who gave her a knowing look, remembering that look being on Buffy's face before when dealing with a certain tall brunette. After a long moment Buffy finally spoke, having been allowed to get a word in. "No, I understand. Good luck at your audition gala thingy." Buffy winced as she copped an earful. "Uh, right… break a leg…" Buffy lowered the receiver from her ear with a sigh.

"So, I take it, Cordelia can't make it for thanksgiving." Willow stated, unable to help feeling more than just a little happy that the catty brunette wouldn't be coming.

"Nope. She's got some sorta high roller gala event to go to that is pretty much the most important audition of her life."

"Sounds like something, Cordelia would do." Willow murmured.

Buffy nodded her agreement. "She did always want to be the start of the show. You never know, one day we may see Cordelia's name up in lights."

"Oh, I hope not! She's got a big enough head as it is." Willow said seriously. "If she gets her name up in lights, she'll be more insufferable then she is now."

"Well, I hope that she does." Buffy murmured. "One of us should at least be able to get our dreams."

"What do you mean by that?" Willow asked, taking a step towards her friend.

Buffy's eyes widened and she shook her head. "Not that you won't get your dreams, Will. I was just… uh, you know never mind. I was just having a Buffy blah moment." She babbled self-consciously.

Willow would have pressed further, but their dorm room phone rang once again and Buffy jumped to answer it, glad for the distraction from the conversation at hand. "Hello?" She spoke into the phone once again…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"But you have whipped cream." Willow pointed out as she walked alongside Buffy down a still very busy street, as people hurried to get last minute things for Thanksgiving themselves. "I saw it in Giles' fridge."

"But that's whipped cream in a canister." Buffy said as if it should be obvious and received a look from Willow. "Look, it's only right if you whip it yourself."

"Hey, and then later, we can churn our own butter and make sweaters out of sheep." Willow said sarcastically.

Buffy's expression turned a little sheepish. "Ok." She conceded. "It's the last thing. I promise." Buffy said a little apologetically, her shoulders slumping slightly, not being able to help feeling a little guilty. Here she was trying to put together a normal nice Thanksgiving dinner, when there was something out there slicing throats and taking ears… and Angelus' Childe in town… perhaps she shouldn't be throwing Thanksgiving… but everything had been so shaky lately, it'd be good for everyone to have something nice and normal to look forward to. _'Besides'_ she thought. _'There's no reason why she couldn't take down the ear snatching monster, Angelus' Childe and throw Thanksgiving dinner!'_ She thought determinedly, giving herself a small determined nod that had Willow giving her a curious look, as the red head wondered what her friend was thinking. Willow's mouth twisted a little in wirily amusement. _'Probably something to do with the dinner.'_

Catching Willow's bemused gaze, Buffy pulled herself out of her thoughts and cleared her throat. "Besides, I have an appointment with that priest that, Giles called about. He thinks he might have some information."

The sound of hurried footsteps coming towards them made Buffy's muscles tense in preparation of an attack, only for her to relax a moment later as a familiar voice called out to them… well her. "Buffy!" Riley shouted causing both Willow and Buffy to stop in their tracks and turn to face him. "Hey, Buffy." Riley greeted brightly, his voice slightly puffed from his run.

"Riley." Buffy said a little surprised. "Where'd you come from? I didn't see you at all." She enquired, keeping her voice polite and her expression friendly as she stared up at him.

Riley had the grace to look a little sheepish, knowing that he shouldn't have chased after her when he'd seen her walking and talking with Willow, but he might not get the chance to see her again before he left for Iowa. "Oh, just across the street… and a couple of blocks down." He admitted, he turned his gaze to Willow and gave her a friendly smile. "Hey, Willow."

"Hi." Willow greeted in return, her gaze going to briefly to Buffy as she stood beside her, she took her lower lip between her teeth, gently nibbling it nervously. She knew that she had agreed that Riley was undoubtedly better for Buffy then Angelus, but it didn't stop her from feeling a little guilty about the whole thing. She had never really been good at espionage or keeping secrets… She turned her gaze to Riley who gave her an encouraging smile as she pondered whether to leave and give the two of them some privacy. With a last look at Buffy she gathered her courage and smiled brightly. "Oh, look, they're serving coffee in the coffee shop. Yum." She exclaimed, before quickly darting into the shop.

"Uh, ok…" Buffy said surprised at her friends sudden desire for coffee, an uncomfortable feeling settling in her gut as she turned her gaze back to Riley and she gave him a polite smile. "So, uh…"

"Any Thanksgiving plans?" Riley asked accidentally cutting Buffy off, in his anxiousness to sound interested in her and what she was doing.

"Well, uh… actually. I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner for my friends and family. It's kinda a last minute thing, which is why the last minute shoppage. It'll be just like when I was a kid." Buffy said with a fond smile inspired by her memories of past Thanksgivings. "Only without me building a fort out of my mashed potatoes."

Riley smiled, quiet easily imagining a young Buffy moulding her mashed potatoes into a mini fort instead of eating them like she was supposed to. "Sounds like fun." Riley said sincerely.

"It will be." Buffy agreed, determined that her first Thanksgiving she was throwing would be a success.

"Is uh," Riley swallowed not sure he should ask, but wanting to know. "Is your boyfriend going?" he asked nervously.

Buffy looked down at her feet at the question and Riley immediately felt bad for asking. "Uh, no…" Buffy said softly as she brought her gaze back up to Riley. "Angelus, isn't really one for family gatherings." She said evasively. "But what about you? You have to have some Thanksgiving plans." She asked to change the subject from her 'boyfriend'.

"Uh," Riley stuttered the change in subject throwing him for a moment, his mind still focused on the fact that she was still with the tall dark man he had seen only twice. He'd hoped with what Willow had told him about things between them being strained and complicated that they'd be over soon… he'd never found himself in a position where he'd had to woo a girl that was already taken by another man… he never thought he'd want to. He'd thought that he had more honour than that, but he guessed he was wrong because he couldn't stop himself from wanting to call her his own. His biggest problem though, was that he had no idea how to proceed… how to drive a wedge between Buffy and Angelus. "Yeah, uh, I'm outa here tonight. Managed to catch a last minute flight back to Iowa."

"Iowa." Buffy murmured contemplatively. "That's one of the ones in the middle, right?"

Riley nodded a little eagerly. "My folks are there. We always do thanksgiving at my grandparents' house. A little farm outside Huxley."

"Sounds nice." Buffy murmured, liking the nice normal sound of Riley's thanksgiving festivities… something that she hadn't had in a long while… so long it was getting hard for her to remember just what it felt like to have a normal holiday.

"It is." Riley enthused. "After dinner, we all go for a walk down by the river with the dogs. There's trees and… And I know what you're thinking. It's like I grew up in a grant wood painting."

"Exactly." Buffy readily agreed with a small nod. "If I knew who that was." She tacked on with a sheepish shrug.

Riley shrugged as well, a small blush colouring his cheeks at just how nerdy he had just sounded in front of the girl he liked. "Just a guy who painted stuff that looked like where I grew up."

Buffy nodded and shifted on her feet, her gaze going to the coffee shop to see if Willow was coming out of the café yet, not seeing the familiar red of her hair anywhere she frowned a little. She didn't have all night to trade pleasantries with one of the UC Sunnydale TA's. She had to get the last of the supplies for Thanksgiving dinner and visit a priest. "Well, have fun at the homestead." She said, as a way of bringing the conversation to an end.

"Always do." Riley told her. "What's the line? Home's the place that, when you have to go there…"

"They have to take you in." Buffy finished for him. "Um, I should go, and make sure, Willow's alright… her and coffee don't normal mix all that well."

Riley nodded, sensing the conversation was coming to an end. "Yeah, and I should get going… I've gotta finish packing a few things for my flight." Buffy nodded, before glancing towards the café once again. "But I'll see you when class starts back."

Buffy nodded again. "Yeah, have a good thanksgiving."

"You too." Riley told her, he gave her an awkward wave, when really he wanted to hug her, before he reluctantly began on his way. Buffy immediately turned and headed into the coffee shop, much to Riley's disappointment when he looked back to see her disappearing into the coffee shop without a backwards glance. Riley sighed and gave a shake of his head, he had a bag to pack and a plane to catch. He'd worry about winning Buffy Summers when he came back.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Harmony hummed softly to herself as she looked around the crypt she had taken complete control over since Spike had abruptly left and never come back, a poster of another unicorn in her hands, this one in a meadow with other unicorn's in the background and a baby one by the main unicorn. She heard a movement from behind her and she whirled around, her eyes widening happily at seeing her 'blondie bear' before they narrowed in anger as she remembered all that she had read and been telling herself since Spike had left. "Get out." She demanded as she crossed her arms over her chest, the poster having slipped from her fingers to the floor.

Spike leaned rather weakly against the wall close to the entrance he had just made it through. "But, baby, this is where I belong." Spike cajoled with the sexiest smirk that he could muster.

"Out!" Harmony demanded again, adding emphasis by pointing her finger at the exit. "I mean it. I've been doing a lot of reading, and I'm in control of my own power now, so we're through." Harmony recited, trying to sound firm and confident, but only managing to sound she was trying to convince herself.

Despite her attempt to be firm and determined she found herself backing up slowly as Spike advanced on her. When he was close enough, Spike grabbed her before she could step out of his reach, bringing her up against him he began kissing her shoulder, pulling the material of her shirt sleeve out of his way. "You don't mean that." He murmured.

Harmony couldn't stop her hands from coming up to clutch at him, her unneeded breaths coming heavier. "Yes, I do. I… I do." Harmony denied with an unconvincing stutter as Spike picked her up into his arms and with determined strides carried her over to the bed. "I mean it a lot." She added as she dumped onto the bed, with Spike following her down.

"See?" Spike murmured huskily. I knew that you'd end up welcoming me back." He continued as he began stroking the soft skin of her legs. "With open… arms." He said with a little smile as he leaned down to kiss her lips.

Harmony frowned and pulled herself together. "No." She said more firmly than ever, before pushing him away from her, a feat that was easier then it usually would have been. Rolling off the bed she came to her feet with a determined frown. "I'm powerful, and I'm beautiful, and I don't need you to complete me." As she spoke she walked around the bed, lifting the mattress she revealed the stake she had hidden there for her protection. Grabbing it she whirled around to face him. "And you're mean." "She whined a she waved the stake threateningly at Spike.

Spike reeled back in shock and fear, he reeled back so far that he fell off the bed with a crash and a cry of surprise. "You had that in your bed?!" He asked incredulously as he scrambled to his feet. "Do you know how dangerous that is?"

"Let's find out." Harmony growled as she stalked towards him, the stake held in a position to strike Spike down.

"You wouldn't do it." He said uncertainly as he stumbled back from her.

"You did it to me, remember?" Harmony growled, a growl that reflected just how much that knowledge still hurt.

"All right, all right," Spike said holding his hands up as he hurried backwards. "I'll go, Just…" Spike fell over a cabinet that was in his way.

"What?" Harmony asked angrily, but also a small amount of hopefulness.

"Can I have someone to eat?" Spike asked piteously. Harmony growled her hopefulness disappearing as fast as it had come and she raised the stake to attack him. Spike made a surprised sound, knocking the cabinet over completely as he turned and hurried out of the crypt that he had been sure would be his safe haven. "BLOODY GIRL POWER BOOKS!" He yelled as he ran almost tripping over his own two feet in his haste.

Back in the crypt Harmony sank down on the bed with a huff, her eyes focusing on the stake in her hand. With a sigh she fell back on the bed, holding the stake up in front of her face, she scowled at it before throwing it away. A place in her heart, despite her strong words, a place in her heart felt empty and alone now that she had chased Spike away… her one true love… Harmony gave her head a shake once again, all the books said that she should feel sorry for herself, that she should feel powerful… maybe she did it wrong? Harmony sat up with a pout. "Oh, why couldn't I have been born smarter?" She muttered whiney.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy walked around the large church of Sunnydale, a place she hadn't bothered to visit before tonight, she walked alone Willow having gone back to Giles with the cream leaving her to talk to the priest alone. "Father Gabriel? Father Gabriel?" She called as she made her way over to a set of open double doors. "Father? Are you out here?" She called again as she walked through the door. Buffy froze as she walked in on a natively dressed Indian slicing the priest throat. "God." She gasped in shock.

She quickly snapped out of it though and hurriedly ran the rest of the way towards them, swiftly punching the Indian in the stomach. Grabbing him with rough hands she threw him away from the hanging priest. The Indian rolled back up to his feet and slipped into a defensive crouch, the bloody knife that he had stolen from the museum clutched in his hand, his entire body prepared to attack the intruder that had dared to interrupt. "You can't stop me." The Indian said darkly.

"You're very wrong about that." Buffy said furiously, her hazel eyes narrowed on him. The Indian rushed her, but Buffy side stepped and swinging around so that she could grab him and slammed him into a low hung bell causing it to ring dully as the brass swung back and forth from the impact. The Indian fell back, stumbling as he tried to clear his head, getting up quickly he rushed at Buffy again, this time swinging the old knife at her, trying to slice her with the wickedly sharp blade.

Buffy leapt back out of the way of the slashing knife. Determined to not give up the Indian threw a punch at her, which Buffy dodged with a smooth motion, her movement making the murdering Indian to slam into an ornamental stand, knocking it over he took Buffy with him though as he fell, landing on top of her. "Yaugh!" The Indian cried as he wielded the knife into the air. "I am vengeance. I am my peoples cry. They call for, Hus, for the avenging spirit to carve out justice.

"They tell you to start an ear collection?" She quipped, before kicking with her legs, kicking the angry spirit off her, flipping up to her feet at the same time Hus did. Punching him to disorientate him, before she slammed his knife wielding hand into the tree they had fought their way over to. Hus didn't relinquish his hold on his knife though, with his free arm he punched Buffy, making her head angle back for a moment, but Buffy soon straightened and kicked out with one of her legs, sweeping it out under Hus' feet, shifting as he fell, she grabbed him, forcing him to his knees whilst angling the arm she still had hold of against his throat, pressing the sharp blade of his knife against his throat.

Hus glared up at her. "You slaughter my people." He spat, unable to help expressing the anger of all his people as he waited for his enemy's warrior to kill him. "Now you kill their spirit. This is a great day for you." Buffy hesitated, his words giving her pause in her determination to stop Hus from killing more people. Moving his hand away from his throat she shoved him away from her so that he fell harshly to the ground. Hus picked himself up, his eyes glaring at her. Buffy watched him warily, she knew that she probably shouldn't have let him go… but she couldn't help but feel at least a little bad for him… in a way. Buffy's mouth dropped a little as Hus turned into a group of bats and with a quick fluttering of their wings he flew off.

Buffy watched him go with mixed feelings until the bats flew out of sight. Buffy felt her senses come alive with the same feeling she had got on the college campus when she found the boy on the campus. "Who knew that a Slayer could show mercy." Penn's voice came from behind her.

Buffy turned around to face him. "I was wondering when you would turn up." She muttered grimly.

"Oh, really?" Penn asked with a raised brow.

"In my experience, demons don't leave a person they want dead alone, until their dead. And considering, Angelus' personality… it wasn't too hard to realize that you'd be coming around again." Buffy shifted her stance. "So shall we get this underway. I don't have all night."

Penn smirked. "Good, neither do I." Penn rushed her, with preternatural speed, making Buffy have to quickly side step to avoid the hands that would have clamped around her if she hadn't. Buffy didn't waste any time in punching Penn in the side as hard and as viciously as she could. Penn cried out in pain and he swung his arm out in her direction, Buffy ducked barely missing the arm that had swung at her head, punching his side again swiftly making Penn growl in anger, before she took a couple of swift steps back wanting a little more distance between them to better avoid any blows Angelus' Childe would send her way.

Buffy ducked and weaved the couple of punches Penn sent her way, before retaliating with a sequence of punches of kicked that were equally blocked as they connected. Buffy grunted as Penn landed his first blow across her face, his fist connecting brutally. Buffy retaliated with a power kick aimed at Penn's stomach, only for Penn to block it, before backhanding her across the face with a force that sent her crashing to the ground as she lost her balance. Buffy quickly rolled onto her back and flipped up onto her feet with a gracefully, powerful movement. Immediately she attacked again, her arm being blocked by Penn's who growled as she blocked his own punch. Penn grasped Buffy's small fist as she aimed it at it his face. "To think that, Angelus chose you to be his mate."

Buffy blinked in surprise. "Huh, his mate?!" Buffy scowled darkly up at him. "And just what's so wrong with me?" She demanded to know.

Penn gave her a 'duh' look. "You are The Slayer." He said simply. Buffy flew back into action using the hold he had on her hand to help balance her as she planted her feet on his chest for a brief moment before using one to kick him viciously under the chin, forcing him to let her go as her momentum caused her to do a neat summersault in the air to land firmly on her feet, as Penn fell with painful thud as he landed on the ground. Penn scrambled to his feet with a growl, his face shifting in anger, his amber eyes flashing murderously at her. Buffy rushed towards him as he rushed towards her, only for her to slow and stop as she felt a demonic presence that she knew better than any other, her slowing saved her from a collision as Angelus jumping from the roof of the church they were battling beside to land in front of her, and with a move that even with her preternaturally enhanced sight couldn't see properly he stopped Penn in his tracks, by grabbing the arm that he had raised to attack her with.

Penn blinked coming back slightly from his rage to realize that Angelus had unexpectedly joined them. "Angelus." He muttered, his face shifting back to his human features, his eyes widening slightly in fear at the murderous look in his eyes. He'd never seen his Sire this angry.

"I thought I gave you clear warning, Penn." Angelus said, his voice low, but no less deadly if he had shouted. Buffy looked from Angelus' broad back to Penn, her eyes wide as she looked at them. Her heart beat a little uncomfortably in her chest, uncertain as to what was about to happen between Sire and Childe, in fact… at this point in time she wasn't sure what she wanted to happen… his words about family tormenting her as she watched the two, she couldn't imagine allowing someone or actually killing a member of her own family herself. And telling herself that it didn't count because they were vampires, because what did she know about the relationships between Sire's and their Children? She'd just been taught how to kick their asses, not given a run down on their family ties.

Buffy quickly turned her gaze away as she saw Angelus' head begin to turn in her direction. Not wanting to see the look in his eyes. The confused jumble of emotions that had her brain whirling and her stomach churning uncomfortably had her turning away from them and quickly walking back the way she had come in. There was no point staying, the priest she had been sent to see was dead and… she didn't trust herself to stick around whilst Angelus confronted Penn, fearful that Angelus wouldn't kill him like he promised and that if he did she would regret not doing something… something that she wasn't supposed to do as The Slayer, at least not for a vampire like Penn.

Angelus' gaze followed Buffy's form as she left without a backward glance. He could sense turmoil in her, it was so strong that it was as close as emotions could get to being visible. With a snarl Angelus turned his attention back to his disobedient Childe, fisting a hand in Penn's shirt, he threw Penn into the tree that Buffy had attempted to disarm Hus. Swiftly following after him, he pulled Penn up by the lapels of his shirt before slamming him once again against the tree. "You have some nerve, Penn!" Angelus growled. "I should have just let, Buff kill you. In fact I should have killed you for attacking her the first time!"

"Now, hold on, Angelus." Penn said, trying to sound repentant, but the huge smile on his face ruined any effect. "Who would have thought it, Angelus getting all worked up over a woman. A Slayer no less."

Angelus growled and threw Penn away from him and the tree and followed him. "Hang on, Angelus!" Penn said his voice becoming slightly panicked. "I wasn't gunning for your girl. I was just testing her."

Angelus snarled. "That isn't your place, Penn. My choice in a mate has nothing to do with you."

"You can't really blame me, Angelus." Angelus kicked him hard in the ribs sending his Childe rolling over the grass. "Or maybe you can." He groaned.

Angelus bent down, closing his hand around his Childe's throat, using his grip on Penn's throat to lift him back up to his feet. "You don't attack my future mate without attacking me. Something you should have learned over the centuries since I turned you, but then you never were very bright." Penn gave him a confused look. "You think I don't know what you're doing? Trying to recreate the killing of your family. I thought I made it clear, that its only that good the once, there's nothing that can compare, except…"

"Finding your mate." Penn finished. "I'm pretty sure you left that part out, when you were giving me your lesson."

Angelus growled again, his hands tightening in his Childe's shirt, before he threw him to the ground once again. Walking over to him, he placed a foot harshly against his Childe's throat. "Now, Penn. You are going to leave town and never come back. You've done enough damage already."

Penn eyes widened surprised that Angelus, his Sire would toss him aside over something so small as testing the strength of The Slayer that had captured his attention. "And if I were to refuse?"

"I'll peg you down for the sun to find you. Without a second thought, you being my Childe will only get you so far, and you've run your rope to the end, one more tug and it'll snap." Angelus promised darkly, placing his foot down more firmly against his Childe's throat to get his point across.

Penn slowly nodded his agreement, not being able to help the feeling of rejection, not only had his Sire failed to meet him, but he was now tossing him out in favour of a woman that wasn't even family… not yet anyway. "When did you want me to be gone?"

"Tonight." Angelus said firmly as he lifted his foot away.

"Tonight? That's impossible, I've got things to pack…"

Angelus growled. "Tonight, Penn. No longer. I won't have you hanging around. Be out tonight, Penn or I'll see that your dust by dawn." He promised darkly. "I won't have my own family threatening the safety of my Slayer, enough demons do that already."

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy stood in front of Giles stove checking the setting wanting to be sure that the food would be cooked perfectly, just the way her mother did it. Of course it was also a way to keep her mind off Angelus and Penn and what had been the outcome after she had chosen to leave rather than stand witness to what was about to occur between Sire and Childe. "It's clear we're dealing with a spirit of some kind." Giles said thoughtfully as he continued to dutifully peel the vegetables Buffy had given him strict orders to peel. "It's very common for Indian spirits to change to animal form."

Giles explanation drew Buffy out of her thoughts, that she realized had drifted once again towards Angelus and his Childe. "It's plenty uncommon for me to freeze up during a fight. I mean I had the guy, I was ready for the take down, and I stopped. And native American." She tacked on at the end.

"Sorry?" Giles asked confused, which wasn't an uncommon thing when talking with Buffy.

"We don't say 'Indian'." She corrected as she turned away from the stove, now satisfied that it was at the correct settings.

Giles shifted the glasses on the bridge of his nose. "Oh, right. Yes, yes. Um, always behind on the terms. Still trying not to refer to you lot as 'bloody colonials'." Giles muttered as he continued to peel.

"And the thing is. I like my evil how I like my men… evil. You know, 'straight up, black hat, tied to the train tracks, soon my electro-ray will destroy metropolis' bad. Not all mixed up with guilt and the destruction of an Indigenous culture." Buffy said with a small frown pulling down her brow as she remembered letting Hus go out of guilt over what had happened to his people.

Giles turned to face her having finished his task. "This spirit warrior… Hus, you called him. Has killed innocent people."

"Ok. You know what?" Buffy said, and Giles gave her a hopeful look. "We need to boil those and put them through the ricer." She finished, dashing Giles hopes and he gave a little sigh of disappointment.

"I don't have a ricer." He told her, drawing Buffy's gaze from the peeled potatoes to him.

"You don't have a ricer?" She asked incredulously. "What do you mean? How could someone not have a ricer?"

"Well, do you have one at home?" Giles asked reasonably.

Buffy paused as she thought about it. "I don't know. What's a ricer?" She asked.

Giles sighed softly. "We'll mash them with forks, much like the pilgrims must have." He said decisively, with that out of the way he steered the conversation back to what he considered a much more important matter. "Did you catch the part about the innocent people?" He asked.

"Yes." Buffy nodded. "Ok? And I do want to stop him. I'd just like to find a non-slayee way to do it." There was a knock on the door interrupting their conversation and Buffy smiled in relief as she walked over to it. Opening the door Buffy's smile grew bigger at seeing the person she'd hoped. "Hey." She greeted.

"Hey." Willow returned, with a smile of her own as she stood with a huge pile of books in her arms.

"Peas?" Buffy questioned expectantly, not seeing the peas she had requested Willow bring with her today, only the huge pile of books.

Willow shifted the books a little awkwardly as she reached into her bag and pulled out a box. "Peas." She replied as she handed them over to Buffy.

Buffy's smile faded as she looked at the box of peas as she stepped aside to let Willow walk into the condo. "These are frozen." She stated disappointedly.

"What's all that?" Giles asked as Willow set the books down on his desk that he usually sat at to do his research.

"Atrocities. I got the full scoop on the Chumash Indians and our fabulous buried mission." Willow said with a dark frown, the things she had read still fresh in her mind.

"You said you were going to get fresh ones." Buffy said, interrupting the flow of conversation, not having followed it, her mind still being stuck on the fact that she held a box of frozen peas instead of a basket of freshly podded ones.

Willow gave her a confused look, not having heard her friends previous comment, having been to focused on her anger over what she had read about the fate of the Chumah Indians. "Atrocities?"

"Peas." Buffy corrected. "They come in little pods. You were going to shell them." Buffy said pointedly.

"I didn't have time. I was busy reading about the Chumash war." Willow explained as Buffy continued to look moodily down at the box of peas she'd been given.

"The Chumash were peaceful." Giles inserted, not being able to help his curiosity.

Willow nodded. "Oh, they were peaceful alright. They were fluffy indigenous kittens, till we came along."

"They're gonna be mushy." Buffy muttered disappointedly as she lifted her gaze from the box.

"They won't be mushy." Willow assured her friend distractedly.

"I like mushy peas." Giles added, hoping to make Buffy feel better.

Buffy gave Giles a look. "You're the reason we had to have pilgrims in the first place." She quipped, before turning her gaze back to Willow and her attention to the matter at hand. "So, what happened to the Chumash?"

"How about imprisonment, forced labour, herded like animals into a mission full of bad European diseases." Willow said disgustedly.

"Boy. Cultural Partnership Centre really didn't stress any of that stuff." Buffy said, feeling a little uncomfortable at Willow's strong feelings on the matter. Not sure how her red headed friend would take it if worse came to worse and she had to use a slayee way to take care of the Chumashian Spirit. As much as she sympathized, her job was to protect the innocents of today, not indulge an ancient Chumash Spirit.

"Not even a diorama." Willow agreed readily. "And it gets better. The few Chumash that tried to rebel were hanged. And when a group was accused of stealing cattle, they were killed. Men, women and children. And for proof to bring back to their accusers…"

"They cut off their ears?" Giles cut in, putting the pieces together as Willow nodded in confirmation.

"So, Hus wasn't kidding about the rightful vengeance routine." Buffy murmured.

"He's recreating all the wrongs done to his people. And it's up to us to stop him." Giles said, causing both Buffy and Willow to look at him at the last part.

"Yes," Buffy agreed causing Willow to glance at her slightly hurt. "But after dinner, right?"

Willow turned her gaze back to Giles, her arms crossed over her chest. "Are you sure we shouldn't be helping him?" She asked.

"No, I think perhaps we won't help the angry spirit with his rape and pillage and murder." Giles said, feeling a sense of tiredness threatening to consume him as he sensed that Willow was going to have a hard time of this one and give them all grief over the matter, no matter what he said.

"Well, ok, no," Willow agreed. "But we should be helping him redress his wrongs. Bring the atrocities to light." She suggested.

Giles took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. "If the history books are full of them, I'd say they already are."

"Giving his land back." Willow suggested again, without even a small pause to think, her mind having already gone over all the things they could do to help the spirit.

"It's not exactly ours to give." Giles tried to reason, as he lowered his hand from his eyes.

Willow scowled at him. "I don't think you wanna help. I think you just wanna slay the demon, then go… la lala." She said hurtfully, not wanting to listen to reason that wasn't going to help her at least right some of the wrongs done to the Chumash tribe.

Giles placed his glasses back over his eyes. "And I think your sympathy for his plight has blinded you to certain urgent facts. We have to stop this thing."

Willow gave him a glare. "Ok, unfeeling guy." She muttered.

"Willow, that's not fair." Giles said, keeping his voice level as his gaze along with Willow's rested on Buffy, both of them looking for her to side with their point of view.

Buffy looked from one to the other as she bit her lower lip. "I have to baste." She blurted out, before hurrying into the kitchen to escape their looks.

The two stood uncomfortably carefully avoiding eye contact as they listened to Buffy bustling about in the kitchen. The silence between them dragged on until a knock sounded at the door and Giles cleared his throat and moved to answer the door grateful for the distraction. Opening the door he revealed Xander and Anya. "Happy thanksgiving." Xander greeted, whilst he tried to stop the shivering of his body.

"Xander. You look like death." Giles observed in concern as Willow came up behind him.

Willow looked at Xander in surprise she'd known that he had called to say that he was sick, but she had never imagined that it was this bad. "Are you alright?" She asked, her indignation forgotten for the moment.

"You didn't bring rolls?" Buffy asked as she came out of kitchen a bowl and wooden spoon in her hands as she stirred the mixture she was mixing.

Willow and Giles stepped out of the way to let Xander and Anya into the condo. Xander immediately made his way towards the comfiest couch, his body really beginning to ach now, not to mention the cold sweats and shivering were getting to him, making wish that he had felt up to putting more clothes on before leaving for the doctors. "The doctors couldn't figure out what was up with me." Xander muttered as he lay himself down on the couch, Anya immediately coming to sit on what was left of the couch. "He said that I had a lot of symptoms that didn't connect."

Buffy frowned. "I think they do connect." She murmured, remembering what Willow had said about 'a lot of nasty European diseases'.

Xander turned his gaze to Buffy as she sat on the edge of another couch, her hand busily mixing the baste. "What, to this Chumash spirit vengeance guy?" He questioned, his gaze flicking from Buffy to Giles and Willow searching for an answer.

Buffy nodded and turned her gaze to Willow. "Didn't you say the Chumash got all diseased when they were all holed up in the mission?"

Willow nodded and grabbed one of the books from the pile she had set down earilier. "Yeah." She said as she opened the book and quickly flicked through the pages until she reached the page she had read earlier. "This has a better account of everything. It lists the various…"

"Various?!" Xander cut in slightly panicked. "As in…"

"Well," Willow said uncomfortably as she looked over the list again. "The important thing is not to panic." She tried to sooth.

Xander sat up a little, brushing away Anya's concerned hands as she tried to push him back down. "You just recited the mystical panic-causing incantation, so little hope there. Let's talk about the various." He demanded.

"Well, they did suffer from malaria, some smallpox…" Willow murmured, her voice trailing in her reluctance to divulge the last disease the Chumash had been plagued with.

"I was gonna say smallpox." Anya said a little to enthusiastically for the situation.

"You know, syphilis," Willow continued in a mumble hoping that Xander wouldn't hear it, or if he did, it being said so softly would mean that he wouldn't freak out. "But basically…"

"Syphilis?" Xander said in shock, dashing Willow's hopes of not panicking her best friend.

"Well, this is probably mystical," She said hurrying to continue, wanting to calm him down. "And it'll all go away as soon as…"

"As soon as what?" Xander cut in, too anxious to hear the cure for his current condition to wait for her to continue, as his red headed friend trailed off.

Willow shifted a little uncomfortably under Xander's panicked gaze. "We still don't know what we're gonna do." Xander's gaze turned wide. "Well," Willow said hurriedly as she went back to the books. "Maybe I can find something. Let's give him some land." She suggested again hopefully.

"I'm sure that'll clear everything right up." Giles said sarcastically and a roll of his eyes.

Willow shot him an annoyed look, her feelings from right after their disagreement rushing back to the forefront. "Sarcasm accomplishes nothing, Giles." She replied sternly.

"It's sort of an end in itself." Giles muttered with a small shrug.

"Can we come rocketing back to the part about me and my new syphilis?" Xander asked, annoyance and panic colouring his tone.

Anya stroked Xander's forehead affectionately. "It'll make you blind and insane, but it won't kill you. The smallpox will." She said far to brightly, and Xander whom she had been trying to comfort became more panicked.

Willow sent an unnoticed glare at Anya, not appreciating Anya making everything so much harder with her thoughtless remarks. "Maybe there's a Wiccan spell that can cure it. something regular medicine doesn't know." She placed down the first books and sorted through pile as she searched for another. "Ooh, there was a potion." Flipping quickly through the book she had picked up and pulled out the piece of paper she had read the potion. "Sage, salt… onion?" She read out with a small frown of confusion.

"That's the stuffing." Buffy corrected as she continued to busily mix the baste.

"Oh, God." Xander groaned as he leaned back against the seat once again.

Anya picked up the open book Willow had placed down, her eyes scanning the page. "Uh, you're gonna get vesicles and pustules. They have pictures." She informed him as she tried to show him the pictures of the infected indigenous people.

Xander turned his head away from the book, his stomach churning faster than it was before. "I hate this guy." He muttered vehemently, as he squeezed his eyes tightly shut in an attempt to help still his stomach. On top of everything else he didn't want to puke as well.

"He's just doing what was done to him." Willow defended Hus, a little sulkily.

Xander's eyes snapped open and he sat up under his own power once again. "I didn't give him syphilis." He exclaimed.

"No," Giles agreed, before Willow could say something else in Hus' defence like she was about to. "But you freed his spirit, and after a century of unrest, he saw you as one of his oppressors."

"What?" Xander grumbled wrapping his blanket about himself tighter. "So, he rises up and infects the first guy he sees? That's no fair."

"Like you've never woken up cranky." Willow defended again her arms crossed over her chest, as she wondered why nobody else seemed to care about what had been done to the Chumash.

"But why the others?" Giles questioned, ignoring Willow's comment. "Why them particularly?"

"So, we take this guy out." Xander said hopefully, his gaze settling on Buffy whose head was bent of her task a frown of concentration pulling down her brow as she carefully stirred. "Buffy, it is for the slaying sometime soon, yeah?"

Buffy looked up from her stirring, but didn't stop the motion of her arm as she met Xander's gaze. "That's sort of the question before the court." Her gaze glancing quickly between Giles and Willow, before turning her gaze back to her baste, wanting to make sure it was perfect.

"Question?" Xander questioned a little hysterically.

"There are two sides to it." Willow said defensively, refusing to back down, even with Xander being sick.

"Slaying him?" Xander questioned and Willow nodded her confirmation. "The representative from syphilis votes, yea."

"It's not that simple." Willow said a little pleadingly, wanting her friends to understand her point of view.

"He's a vengeance demon. You don't talk to vengeance demons. You kill them." Xander said in frustration.

Anya pulled back from him as if stung, her gaze hurt as she stared at him. "I didn't know you felt that way.

Xander turned a confused gaze to his girlfriend. "What?" He asked, not sure what he had done or said wrong.

"Anyway, he's a spirit, not a demon." Willow corrected.

Giles nodded. "Yes, and we've never faced this sort of spirit before. We really don't know what will kill it."

Willow's relieved expression turned aggravated. "Again with the killing." She grumbled.

"Figuratively speaking." Giles amended for Willow's sake. "Or bind it or whatever." Willow opened her mouth, but Giles cut her off. "Yes, Willow, we all appreciate your perspective." He assured her.

"Sometimes vengeance is justified." Anya grumbled with a frown, feeling very uncomfortable in the room now that Xander had made his feelings known.

Xander turned his gaze to his girlfriend and sudden understanding took him, and he reached for her and took her hand. "You know that I didn't mean you." He assured her, causing Anya to give him a small smile.

"I don't think anyone appreciates the truth of the situation." Willow said, becoming exasperatedly, growing more than a little annoyed with all the talk of just getting rid of the spirit, without trying to do anything to make amends.

"Oh, I think we do." Giles said becoming equally exasperatedly.

Buffy abruptly jumped to her feet the bowl clutched tightly in her arms. "This is no good!" She said loudly, drawing everyone's attention. "It needs more condensed milk." She explained a little embarrassedly, before quickly disappearing into the kitchen.

"Buffy," Giles said as he watched Buffy set the bowl down onto the kitchen bench to grab the condensed milk. "Xander's in real danger. Are you sure the solution is pie?" He enquired, not sure why this thanksgiving dinner seemed to be so important to her, when there was much more important things to worry about.

Buffy poured in a certain amount of condensed milk not wanting to flood her baste. "Over bickering and confusion, I'll take pie." She told him, before making her way back out of the kitchen bringing the bowl and mixing spoon with her. "We will find a solution. And we will have a nice dinner, ok? Both." She said firmly, in a tone that Giles knew would broke no arguments. "End of story. I'm having thanksgiving, and it'll be perfect."

"Hus won't stop." Giles said as Buffy came back into the living room. "Vengeance is never sated, Buffy. Hatred is a cycle. All he will do is kill."

Buffy opened her mouth to answer, but another knock on Giles front door distracted her, setting down her baste, she walked over to the door, wondering who else would be knocking on Giles door. Everyone that they were expecting were already here. Her heart skipped a beat as she wondered if perhaps it was Angelus coming to talk. Opening the door, her expression flattened in annoyance at seeing an all too familiar peroxide blond vampire, who was cowering under a blanket to keep from combusting under the bright rays of the midday sun, but despite the blanket smoke rose up from his leather jacket just from the indirect sunlight.

"Help me." Spike pleaded and stepped forward to enter the condo, with a quick move Buffy pushed him back almost knocking the weakened Spike to the ground and exposing him completely to the sunlight, but he managed to keep his feet. "Ooh!" He cried. "What part of help me do you not understand?" He growled annoyed.

Buffy frowned at him. "The part where I help you." She said as she stared at him coldly.

"Come on," Spike pleaded, not believing just how low he was sinking at coming here for help, but he'd rather come here than go to his smug assed Sire. There was no way that Angelus would let him live this down… plus Angelus wouldn't be all that happy to see him… after all he'd made it clear that he was to blow town and not come back this time. At least with The Slayer he had a chance at receiving mercy. "I'm parboiling out here!"

Buffy glanced to the side as she heard Giles coming up to her, glancing down at the stake he was offering her, she grasped it and turned her full attention back to Spike. "Want me to help make it quicker?" She asked sweetly.

"Invite me in." Spike demanded, hating the pleading that was in his tone.

"No. it's fairly unlikely." Giles said calmly, not at all phased by Spike appearance at his door, especially when he looked as pathetic as he did with the blanket the only thing keeping him from roasting under the sun.

"Oh, damn it!" Spike growled as more smoke rose up from under his jacket, the heat of the sun making him feel even more uncomfortable then his blood deprived body already did. "Look, I'm safe. I can't bite anyone." He gritted out, having to swallow his pride to admit it, especially to The Slayer who was also his Sire's intended mate. His eyes moved past Buffy to rest on Willow who was watching from her spot in the living room. "Willow, tell 'em what I did." He pleaded.

Willow frowned slightly. "You said you were gonna kill me, then, Buffy."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Yes, bad, but let's skip that part and get to the part where I couldn't bite you." His eyes pleading with her.

"It's true." Willow admitted reluctantly as she met Buffy's gaze as her blond friend had turned slightly to face her. "He had trouble performing."

Spike nodded wincing as his blanket shifted and a small bit of sun hit him directly and he shifted the blanket back to its original position. "Yeah, well, it looks like they've done me for good." He admitted despondently. "Um," He began about to ask about being let in again, only for Buffy to cut him off.

"What are you saying?" She asked with a frown, an uncomfortable feeling settling in her stomach. Spike was also Angelus Childe… would he be angry if she staked Spike? Buffy gave her head a mental shake. She knew that Angelus didn't care much for Spike… but then… he'd never actually killed him… she didn't even know if he had killed Penn for attacking her a second time like he promised he would.

"I'm saying that Spike had a little trip to the vet and now he doesn't chase the other puppies anymore. I can't bite anything. I can't even hit people." He said despairingly.

"So, you haven't murdered anybody lately? Let's be best pals." Buffy said sarcastically, her fingers stroking her stake, determined that she wouldn't show Spike anything of her currently conflicted emotions.

"Well, aren't you dating that ponce, Angelus?" Spike snarked, the scowl that darkened buffy's face made him wish that he hadn't spoken, especially when she shifted her grip on her stake as if getting ready to use it. "I've got information." He said quickly, and as he predicted her stake lowered once more, and his unneeded breath came easier. "About the solider boys you were fighting. Got the inside scoop." He continued when she didn't do anything else to indicate that she was even considering letting him in. "Come on, what have you got to be afraid of?" He said pleadingly, if she didn't, he had nothing left to give in exchange for the help he needed.

Buffy sighed softly and she turned her gaze to Giles who was still standing close behind her. Giles hesitated a moment longer, before giving his own sigh. "I can't believe I'm saying this." He muttered. "Come in, Spike."

Spike didn't wait a second longer than he had to after the invitation was given to rush inside and out of the sunlight. "Shut the door!" He demanded. "And the bleeding curtains." Buffy silently shut the door and gave Willow a small nod, before the red head began going about and shut the curtains to block out more sunlight.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Hus moved about the lost mission, his voice ringing about it as he performed a ritual to summon the warrior spirits of the Chumash. "First people who dwell in mishupashup, hear me and descend. Walk with me upon itiashup again. Hear me also nunashush. Spirits from below… Creatures of the night… Take human form and join the battle. Bring me my revenge." As Hus spoke the last word a large green smoke cloud rose up, hovering in the air for a moment, before separating and forming into a dozen warriors.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy jerked the last knot tight, making the now bound Spike snarl. "Grrr. Bloody hell, woman. You're cutting off my circulation." He growled.

Buffy gave him a look, tempted to tip over the chair he was now securely bound to, but refrained. "You don't have any circulation." She pointed out.

"We'll, it pinches." Spike grumbled with a glare.

"Get used to it. I have more important things to worry about." Buffy said as she straightened up.

"I came to you in friendship." Spike said, and Buffy gives him an incredulous look. "Well, alright, seething hatred." He conceded. "But I've got useful information, and I feel I'm being mistreated."

Buffy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest as she glared down at Spike, all the reasons why she hated him being remembered in sudden clarity with each passing moment he sat in the chair. "So tell me everything you know." She demanded.

"I'm too hungry to remember everything." Spike said loftily.

"Then sit." Buffy muttered, not intending to play his game. She wasn't going to bargain with him for his information.

"Uh, how much butter goes in with these?" Anya called from the kitchen where she was stirring the contents of a pot.

Buffy's attention was immediately diverted. "About half a stick of butter and a quarter of a cup of brandy." Buffy turned her gaze to Giles as he sat looking through one of the books Willow had brought with her. "You do have brandy, don't you?"

"What?" Giles asked, as he looked up from the book he had been concentrating on. "Oh, yes. Um, on the bookcase." He said pointing towards it, before lowering his head back down with a frown to the book.

Spike who's interest had been peeked by the mention of brandy licked his lips. "I wouldn't say no to a brandy." He said hopefully.

"What's wrong?" Buffy asked Giles, ignoring Spike's request for a brandy.

Giles looked up from his book and took off his glasses. "The victims. Apart from Xander, Hus has targeted authority figures. Father Gabriel, The Curator of The Cultural Centre. Who else fits the pattern?"

"Just a small brandy." Spike pleaded, not taking being ignored as the no the entire group meant it to be.

Buffy's frown of concentration disappeared as it came to her. "The Dean. Dean Guerrero, he's like the kind of is, and he was at the ceremony."

Giles nodded approvingly. "Likely candidate. We should warn him."

Buffy nodded her agreement and turned her gaze to Willow who was looking sullenly into a book. "Will, anything in those books about how to stop a native American spirit guy?" Buffy swallowed at the look Willow directed at her. "Some nice, non-judgemental way to, you know, kill him?" She hastened to add, but her effort was wasted as her words only made Willow's look darken further.

"I'm not gonna help you kill him. I'm not on board." She said stubbornly.

Buffy let out a small breath and gave Willow a helpless shrug. "What choice do we have?"

"Buffy, this isn't a Western." Willow said stubbornly. "We're not a fort… Giles with the cavalry coming to save us. It's just one lonely. Oppressed warrior guy who's just trying to…"

"Kill a lot of people?" Buffy cut her off with a raised eyebrow.

"I didn't say he was right." Willow muttered quietly, her gaze slightly down caste.

Buffy gave Willow a sympathetic look, it wasn't as if she didn't understand, she did, but Hus was killing innocents. "Will, you know how bad I feel about this. It's eating me up…"

Willow crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh please, Buffy. I don't see you putting, Angelus to death. And he's killed more people then Hus has."

The entire room went silent for a moment as everyone in the living room looked at Buffy, except for Buffy who was looking at Willow shocked. Whilst Willow looked at Buffy with wide shocked eyes of her own as her own words fully registered. "Ooh, burn. Baby Wiccan's got claws." Spike crowed, more than just a little amused.

"Buf…" Willow began, but was cut off by Anya.

"How much brandy am I putting in again?" The ex-vengeance demon called.

Buffy turned her gaze away from Willow with a thick swallow as she fought back tears that were pricking hotly at the backs of her eyes. "Uh, ¼ cup of brandy and uh, let it simmer." She instructed, fighting to keep her voice steady, her enthusiasm for her normal thanksgiving dinner waning as her heavy heart sunk further. Forcing herself to bring her gaze back to Willow. "Look, I know that this is hard, but we have to end this. Yes, he's been wronged. And I personally would be ready to apologize…" Buffy said, trying to swallow her bitter sadness and anger, trying to tell herself that it wasn't personal that Willow was just frustrated… but it was hard… her words touched on one of the many sore points that lay between herself and Angelus.

"Oh, someone put a stake in me." Spike groaned with a roll of his eyes.

"You got a lot of volunteers in here." Xander spoke up helpfully, making Spike glare at him. Buffy glanced up at Giles as he stepped towards her eyes sad and nervous not knowing what to expect. She was relieved though when he gave her a small smile and lay a hand briefly over her shoulder giving it a comforting squeeze.

"I just can't take all this mamby-pamby boo-hooing about the bloody Indians." Spike said interrupting the moment between Buffy and Giles.

Buffy turned her gaze to him. "Uh, the preferred term…"

"You won. All right?" Spike said exasperatedly, cutting Buffy off. "You came in and you killed them and you took their land. That's what conquering nations do. It's what Caesar did, and he's not going around saying, 'I came, I conquered, but I felt really bad about it'." He said sarcastically, a remark that would have made Willow glare at him, but she was too busy glancing at Buffy guiltily, but her blond friend was steadily avoiding her gaze. "The history of the world isn't people making friends. You had better weapons, and you massacred them. End of story."

"Well, I think the Spaniards actually did a lot of…" Buffy trailed off as she glanced around, her gaze skirting quickly over Willow. "Not that I don't like Spaniards." She finished lamely, realizing that she was treading on waters that would just make things worse.

Spike shook his head. "Listen to you. How are you gonna fight anyone with that attitude?"

Willow frowned at him. "We don't want to fight anyone."

"I just wanted to have a normal thanksgiving." Buffy muttered disheartened, causing Willow to glance at her apologetically, but the look went unnoticed as Buffy was still steadily avoiding looking in Willow's direction as much as she could, not wanting to see the look in her eyes.

"Heheh." Spike laughed. "Yeah… Good luck." He snorted. "Slayers don't do normal."

"If we could just talk to him…" Willow began, certain that communicating would help make Hus understand.

Spike rolled his eyes again, not quite sure how anyone could be that stupidly naïve. "You exterminated his race. What could you possibly say that would make him feel better? It's kill or be killed here. Take your bloody pick."

Xander looked around a little nervously, he could still feel the tension in the room and although a large part of him agreed with her, he had sort of gotten used to the idea it had been hard, but he had started to… under Willow's advice. "Maybe it's the syphilis talking, but… some of that made sense." His eyes going anxiously to Willow not wanting to agitate his red headed friend any further.

Giles rolled his eyes in exasperation. "I made all these points earlier, but fine, no one listens to me." He said loftily, his blue eyes sweeping about the room to see if they had any effect and to his disappointment, but not surprise it had gone unnoticed.

"Fine, ok? But someone still has to go warn the Dean." Buffy said pointedly.

Willow jumped eagerly off her chair. "I'll go. I need the air."

Buffy forced herself to look at Willow. "Not alone." She said firmly, no matter her feelings at the current moment, she'd never wish harm upon her friend. Willow gave her a little smile at her show of concern, and got a strained one in return.

"I'll go." Anya offered, sick of standing over the stove.

"Me too." Xander offered.

Buffy turned her gaze to him. "Sure you're up to it?" She asked concernedly.

"Oh, leave that one." Spike urged as he licked his lips hungrily. "He looks like he's ready to drop any minute, and I think I can eat someone if he's already dead."

Xander shot to his feet faster than he thought possible in his current state. "I'm up to it." He said firmly as he eyed Spike distrustfully, if he was going to die, he was determined that he wouldn't become Spike's next munchible blood donor!

"I'll keep looking for a solution." Giles said as he once again sat back down, feeling the tension that had built up after Willow's callous explosion beginning to melt away as plans were being laid down and actions beginning to be taken.

"Guys, the Dean's house is up past the gym." She told them, receiving a nod from Willow. "And hurry. Dinner's in an hour!" She called after them as the door opened and they began to exit, the door shutting behind them.

"Hey, when do I get fed?" Spike asked indignantly as Buffy was just about to make a move towards the kitchen in order to check on the food, and give her a chance to pull herself together in sort of privacy. Not wanting to burst into tears, especially not in front of Spike!

Buffy turned a glare on him, quiet tempted to tell him 'never', but instead went with, "Later. I hope the others are ok." She murmured.

"Do you know what happens to vampires who don't get to feed?" Spike asked.

Giles looked up from the book he was studying, his genuine curiosity making him give his full attention to Spike. "I always wondered about that actually." Giles murmured, silently hoping that the peroxide blond would keep talking. It would probably be the first and last time he'd wish that about Spike.

"Giles, plates?" Buffy asked, and Giles pointed to a cupboard close to the kitchen, his blue eyes still staring at Spike, hoping for an answer still.

"Living skeletons, mate." Spike said as Buffy opened the cupboard and began pulling out plates. "Like famine pictures from those dusty countries, only not half as funny."

Buffy turned around all the plates she needed held effortlessly in her arms. "You can have gravy." She said decisively. "That has blood in it, right?"

Spike scowled at her. "Do you know what else has blood in it? Blood!" He grumbled, wanting to feel the taste of that thick rich liquid running down his throat… not watered down mush that tasted nothing like it.

"Well, you can deal with it or go hungry. 'Cause I'm not gonna go all the way to the butcher for you." Buffy said snarkily.

"I bet you would have done it for, Angel." Spike grumbled, hating the fact that it sounded a little like a whine. It had been so long since he'd tasted blood that even that bloody pigs blood that the soulful ponce used to drink would have tasted like a sweet virgin.

Buffy glared at him. "Yeah, well your no, Angel." She said snidely.

"I wouldn't drink that crap anyway." Spike grumbled, lying through his teeth.

Buffy gritted her teeth as she set the plates down on Giles dining table, before whirling back around to face Spike. "Do I have to gag you? Because I am not gonna listen to you whine all the way through my dinner. It's gonna be a nice, quiet, civilized…" the smashing sound of a window breaking drew their attention as an arrow whizzed into the room and implanted itself with a thunk in the decorative scarecrow that had been placed on the dinner table. Giles and Buffy's gaze went to the window their eyes landing on Hus who was perched on the window bow and arrow in hand. "You. Listen." Buffy said quickly as she watched Hus reloading. "Maybe I wasn't clear before about how terrible we all feel. 'Cause we're trying to help." She said, wanting to try Willow's way first, wanting to be able to tell her friend that she had tried talking.

"What's going on?!" Spike demanded to know as she squirmed in his chair trying to see what the crashing sound hand been.

"It isn't working." Giles exclaimed as more of his windows broke and more warriors appeared at his windows.

"Uh," Buffy said thinking of what else she could say and coming up mostly blank. "You can have casinos now."

Giles saw the Indian drawing back their arrows. "Get down!" He cried, his hand clamping on her shoulder as he ducked down behind the dining table even though Buffy was already moving to duck out of the sharp projectiles. Their heads had barely cleared under the safety of the table when the arrows came soaring into the room.

"What about me?!" Spike cried as he was left, forgotten and helplessly bound to the chair and directly in the line of fire. "You gonna leave me here like this?!" He growled, just as an arrow pierced his chest deeply, just a few inches to the right of his heart, making Spike look down in surprise and fear waiting to see if he'd go dust for a moment, before realising that the wooden arrow had missed. Looking up indignantly in the direction the arrow had been fired from. "Hey! Watch the heart!" He growled at the angry Indians, who paid him absolutely no mind as another volley rained into the condo.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"Well, that was a waste of time." Anya muttered as she walked beside Xander, her eyes skirting to him to make sure that he was still alright.

Xander nodded his agreement. "I think he thought we were crazy."

"Maybe if, Anya hadn't opened the conversation with, 'everybody got both ears?'." Willow said pointedly.

"I liked his wife. She gave me pie." Anya commented, not getting the hint in Willow's tone.

"So, what do we do now?" Willow asked as they continued to walk away from the Dean's house.

"We could stay here and stand watch, or I just don't…" Xander trailed off as he spotted Angelus who had started towards them upon sensing their presence. The whole group came to a stop as they all noticed him, each of them swallowing nervously as they watched him approach. "Angelus." Xander muttered.

"What are you doing here? And where's, Buffy?" He demanded, his dark gaze flashing angrily, his un-beating heart clenching in worry at the idea of Buffy alone with the angry Chumash warrior spirits after her.

"What does it matter why where here?" Xander grumbled, not appreciating the demeaning, demanding tone Angelus had used. "And it's not our job to keep you in the know where Buffy's concerned. If she wanted you to know, she'd tell you. Perhaps the real question should be, is why are you here?" Xander grumbled

Angelus growled his hands clenching into fists a sneer pulling up his lips as he fought the urge to snap the boys neck. Knowing that it would cause him more pain in the long run, then the momentary pleasure would compensate for. The look on Angelus' face made Xander take a step back and had Anya clutching at his arm worried for him. "Rumours of a Chumashian avenging spirit."

Willow looked at him suddenly curious. "What about him? Why would Hus concern you?" She asked drawing Angelus' angry gaze from Xander who breathed a sigh of relief.

"Because I've just come from the Chumash exhibit at the cultural centre." Angelus began.

"Why would you go there?" Willow interrupted without thinking.

"A hunch." Angelus rumbled in annoyance. "And all the Chumash weapons were stolen. So again I ask, where is Buffy?"

"She's still at, Giles." Willow admitted, not likely the look he was giving her. Angelus would probably always give her the wiggins, another reason why Buffy would be better off with a nicer guy… like Riley.

"She sent us to check out the Dean." Anya explained, her gaze going to Xander as he weakly squeezed her arm and she gave him a 'what?' look at the frown he was giving her.

"Why the dean?" Angelus asked, the expression on his face making Willow hurriedly speak up.

"We think he's going after someone in charge. A l-leader." She stuttered at the end as Angelus' look turned darker, making her heartbeat race.

"How stupid could you be?!" Angelus snarled.

"Hey," Xander started in defence of his friend only for the look Angelus shot him to shut him up.

"He's a warrior, and to a warrior, the only leader that matters is the strongest fighters. And that's no bloody dean of a university. He's formed a raiding party and the only person she's got to help her is that stuffy ex-Watcher."

"Buffy." Willow murmured in concern. Angelus snarled and turned on his heel and took off without a backwards glance, heading towards Giles condo as fast as his preternatural speed could take him.

Willow, Xander and Anya exchanged looks. "Well, he could have been lying." Xander suggested.

Anya shook her head. "No, when it comes to Buffy, I doubt very much that he'd lie. And beside from everything I've heard about Angelus… he doesn't lie… he prefers the truth. It's a good strategy really. Truth hurts a lot more than a thousand lies." Anya murmured

Silence rained for an extended moment before Willow gave herself a shake. "Come on, we gotta hurry and get back." She exclaimed, before taking off leaving the others to follow. Xander did his best to hurry after his best friend, despite Anya's protests that he was too sick to over tax himself like this and that Buffy was a Slayer and was more than capable of taking care of herself.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"Would one of you get me out of this chair!" Spike howled as another arrow pierced his chest once again the arrow missing his heart by a matter of inches, the shaft joining the scattering of the others that perilously circled his heart. "Or at least move my chair out of the way of your ruddy battle."

Spike was ignored totally and utterly by Giles and Buffy as they peered over the edge of the table only to duck again as another volley of arrows flew at them. "Uh, we need a plan." Giles said, for what to Buffy felt like the hundredth time.

"Yes, let's talk about it some more." She grumbled sarcastically as she looked around, before turning her gaze back to Giles. "Where's your weapons chest?" She asked urgently.

"Over there." Giles answered, with a gesture of his arm across the room.

Buffy turned her gaze to the chest Giles indicated, glancing up towards the window, listening as best she could with her other senses seeing as she couldn't actually see the window from her position. With a calculated movement Buffy sidled over to the chest reaching out for it. "Ooh!" She exclaimed in pain as an arrow pierced her arm with a painful thud that had her pulling her arm back to cradle it against her chest for a moment.

"Buffy!" Giles cried in concern as he moved to go to her, only to be stopped by an arrow whizzing past his head to clatter to his floor the pointed tip chipping a tile.

Spike tugged agitatedly at his restraints as a few more arrows thudded into his chest making the merry ring of arrows sticking out of his chest around his heart complete. "Remember that conquering thing? Forget it. Apologize." He demanded.

"Shut up, Spike." Buffy growled through gritted teeth as she grasped the arrow and pulled it out of her arm with a smooth tug.

"Fine, I'll do it myself." Spike shouted at her, his eyes turning to the windows, leaning slightly in his chair in an attempt to see the attacking Chumash spirits. "Hey, sorry! Sorry about that, Chief."

"How many?" Buffy asked as she got the chest open.

"Uh," Giles stalled as he looked around trying to find them all. "The leader upstairs. Two by the living room windows. Uh, one through the window by the door." He rattled off as he continued to look.

Buffy shook her head as she pulled out a crossbow. "It's too many. We need help." She cried.

Spike rocked back and forth in his chair determined to not die in the middle of his worst enemies battle with an angry vengeful spirit. Especially not whilst helplessly bound by a chair. "Ok, one, two, three. Ow!" He shouted angrily as another arrow pierced his chest, this one thankfully not piercing anywhere near his heart. "Bloody hell." He cursed angrily.

Buffy aimed her crossbow at Hus who had entered the condo and descended down the stairs his knife raised in front of him. Lining up her shot she fired the bolt landing with deadly accuracy in his chest, but the blow didn't stop him, only made him stumble for a moment, and give her an angry look. "Giles." Buffy called a little hysterically. "These guys… they don't die."

Giles gasped raggedly as he struggled with another Indian warrior that had clambered through one of the windows and had grasped him unaware from behind. "Bit busy over here." He called out as he struggled with the spirit who was endeavouring to kill him.

His leg kicked out and hit Spike's chair, knocking it off balance, tumbling the chair over, taking Spike with it. "Hey!" Spike cried in annoyance, only to be grateful a moment later as an arrow whizzed by where he had once been.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus snarled as he finally made it to Giles condo, jumping down the steps into the courtyard, rushing to the Indian that was about to jump into the condo to join the fray where he could sense his girl. Grabbing the Indian from behind he pulled him away from the window, his gaze landing on Buffy through the open window, to see her running towards one of the Indian's her eyes determined. Reluctantly turning his gaze away he snapped the Indian's neck with a smooth twisting motion and let him go, and the Indian fell to the ground. Turning away from the downed Indian he turned his attention to another Indian that had turned his attention to him as soon as he had entered the fray, leaving those inside to those already in there.

Angelus snarled at him, his ears twitching as he heard a car pull up outside, and his ears picked up the annoying sound of their voices reaching his sensitive ears as the one he believed was called Anya argued briefly with what must be a taxi driver over the cost of the cab ride. Angelus snarled, focusing his attention on the Indian that was coming towards him with a war cry that was as irritating as it was loud. He grabbed the Indian's arm as it reached him, stopping it from stabbing him with short spear that he was using. He sensed movement behind him and his eyes widened to see the Indian who's neck he had broken coming towards him with hurried steps, murder in his dark eyes. He moved to kick the oncoming Indian only for the Indian to go crashing to the ground, his eyes landed on Willow who was wielding a now folded up chair. His eyes narrowed on her in surprise for a moment, before he turned his full attention back to the Indian at hand, and with a snarl he punched him, letting the spirit go so that the spirit could stumble back, giving him room to land a punishing kick to the spirits stomach.

Behind him Anya had also taken up a chair and had now joined Willow in taking turns in whacking the vengeful spirit over it back each and every time it tried to stand up. "Why…" Willow grunted as she wacked the spirits back, before Anya took her turn. "Don't…" She said again as she brought her chair once again. "You… Die?!" She finished in frustration as once again as she lowered her chair and prepared to heave it up again as Anya whacked him again as the spirit tried to stand once again.

Angelus growled as he was grabbed from behind, the arms of another Chumash warrior closing around his throat bringing him up against his chest, the spirit trying to hold him still for the other spirit to finish off. Angelus spun around forcing the Indian trying to restrain him to kick his own tribesman in the head. His eyes landed on Xander who was just standing there, leaning against the wall, watching them all fight, and he growled angrily, his hatred for the boy growing as he just stood their whilst his future mate was stuck inside with a Watcher that got knocked unconscious more often than not! Leaving his girl on his own… even if the Watcher did manage to stay conscious, it wasn't as if the old man had much fighting finesse.

Xander jumped slightly, coming out of his sickness induced stupor, and gave a small nod before he even knew that he had given it to the one demon that he hated above all others, upon realising it he hesitated a second longer, not wanting to jump to do Angelus' orders, but forced himself to put it behind him… Buffy was more important than his hatred for Angelus… she had to be, or what kind of person could he really be?

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy blocked a punch from Hus and threw one of her own, which was also blocked by Hus using his knife bearing arm. With a swift movement, Buffy grabbed the knife and used her free arm to punch his arm close to his wrist, forcing Hus to release the knife. Not pausing for even a moment, Buffy shifted her grip on the knife and wielded it with a smooth slicing motion towards Hus, who raised his arm to block, the blade of the knife piercing the flesh of his arm, a thin cut appearing on his arm to both of their surprise. Buffy turned her gaze up to Hus from the cut she had created an excited gleam shining from her hazel eyes as she felt the thrill of triumph. "Your knife can kill you." Hus glared at her, before taking a small step back, before morphing his form, turning into a large black bear.

"A bear!" Buffy shouted in surprise her wide hazel eyes reflecting the feeling as she took a large shocked step back, not having expected to be confronted with a bear just when she had been about to win the day.

Spike stared up at the bear with wide rather scared eyes from his position trapped on the floor, tugging his arms and legs trying to break free of the restraints that The Slayer had put on him, but with no luck. "Y-You made a bear!" Spike said, his entire body frozen in surprise and fear as the bear let out an angry growl.

"I didn't mean to!" Buffy wailed as she stared at the bear wondering just how she could take on the angry bear, that looked like it was gearing up for an attack.

"Undo it! Undo it!" Spike shouted frantically as his body unfroze as his survival instincts kicked in he began struggling against his bonds, wanting to be able to escape out the front door, now believing that it had been a bad idea to come here in the first place… especially now that he could sense his Sire close by… he'd never be able to live it down if he saw him like this!

"Hey, gentle Ben!" Xander's voice rang out drawing Buffy's gaze to him. "Over here." He shouted as he grabbed up a few pieces of fruit from a fruit bowl sitting on a ledge near him, throwing the fruit, hitting the bears back and forearms. "That's for giving me syphilis." He shouted as the bear turned to face him with a roar that had Xander stumbling back his heart racing in his chest. Buffy moved forward with a determined stride, the knife she had taken from Hus clutched firmly in her hand, raising it she brought it down stabbing it into the bears back in the general area she believed his heart would be, her Slayer instincts making it almost impossible to not aim for the spot she knew was fatal to most demons. The bear gave a final roar as Buffy pulled the old Chumash knife out of the bears back, before it disappeared in a cloud of green smoke before it evaporated entirely along with every other Chumash warrior that Hus had called to him, causing Anya and Willow to breathe a sigh of relief as they lowered the chairs, letting them drop to the ground their arms aching and their chests heaving from the exertion.

Spike twisted his head from side to side trying to see from his position on the floor. His ears not picking up the sounds of battle anymore. "What happened? Did we win?" He asked, looking at Buffy, his neck straining. Buffy turned her gaze to the peroxide blond for a moment before turning it away without saying a word she turned away from him, her shoulders slumping slightly as she sighed softly, suddenly feeling really rather drained… now that everything had finally died down. Walking towards the front door she placed the knife down on the ledge that the fruit bowl was set on. "Uh, Buff… is everything ok?" Xander asked.

Buffy attempted to give Xander a small smile. "I'm fine… just a little drained…" She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Enjoy dinner." She murmured, before moving on… Xander opened his mouth to question her further only to be interrupted by Spike's angry bellow.

"Would someone set me up right!" He snarled as he rocked from side to side in his chair. "These arrows don't tickle, you know!"

Buffy made it outside Giles condo and took a deep breath as she paused just outside the door, her senses drawing her attention as her relaxing body became in aware of the familiar tingling that was spreading out from the base of her spine. Immediately her eyes went to Angelus who was still standing in the courtyard. Her eyes met his for a moment, before she turned them away, she went to hurry on, only to stop in her tracks at becoming aware of Anya and Willow who were close to the door having been making their way there after the Indian's sudden disappearance. "Buffy," Willow began. "So, I guess we won," She mumbled, feeling a little awkward, highly aware that her outburst earlier hadn't been officially forgiven by her blond friend.

"Uh, yeah." Buffy said with a nod. "I'll, uh, see you at school." She murmured a little self-consciously, before once again moving to leave, wanting to get out of here and allow herself the opportunity to break down like she felt she needed to.

"Uh, where are you going?" Willow asked, causing Buffy to pause once again.

"Uh…" Buffy hedged trying to think of an excuse, not wanting to admit just how emotionally fraught she felt. "To lie down. I'm feeling kinda beat." She lied, her feet shifting nervously, knowing that she wasn't a very accomplished liar.

"Oh," Willow murmured disappointedly, she had been hoping that dinner would be the opportunity she needed to clear the air between them. "But what about dinner? It would be a bit of a bummer if you didn't at least get to eat a few bites of it. After all the work you put into it." She urged hopefully.

"I'm sure there'll be left overs." Buffy muttered disheartened, really not feeling up to having the dinner now… the entire night hadn't been anything like she had been hoping… nothing about it had been normal. Not one little thing. "But there's no reason you guys shouldn't enjoy it. The roast should be ready by now." Buffy attempted another smile, before moving off, her steps somewhat hurried not wanting to be stalled again… not wanting to be talked into staying… she didn't really feel like sitting through the dinner now… she didn't know how much longer she would last… and with Spike there ready and willing to push her buttons till she broke… she couldn't risk it… and all she wanted to do was collapse in private.

Willow watched her go with concerned eyes, whilst Anya watched with annoyed ones. "You know, you'd think she'd show just a little gratitude after all the trouble we went through." She muttered. Angelus followed Buffy with his eyes for a moment, before turning his gaze back to the condo, looking in through the window, his eyes landing on Spike as Giles pulled out one of the arrows imbedded in his chest, causing his ungrateful brat of a Childe to snarl and spout off at the ex-Watcher, who rebutted with a sarcastic retort that had his Childe glaring at him sullenly, before once again demanding a brandy, which Giles heartily ignored as he took hold of another arrow. Angelus frowned at the scene, wondering what Spike was doing in The ex-Watcher's home, he knew his Childe was stupid, but he hadn't thought he was stupid enough to allow himself to get captured… Angelus smirked a little in amusement; actually it was a shock that he was smart enough to convince Buffy not to stake him on sight.

Turning away from the scene, despite how amusing he found Spike's antics, he'd find out later, right now he had more important things to do, and he didn't think his Childe would be going anywhere soon, which meant that he wouldn't be causing him or his mate any further trouble… which was more than fine with him. It was one less thing for him to worry about in wooing his mate's tender affections back. Walking after Buffy, her small frame long gone from sight, but her scent still remaining strong in the air, leaving a trail for him to follow until he once again grew close enough to sense her. Willow watched Angelus go, an anxious feeling growing in her stomach as she saw him disappear around the hedge just as Buffy had. "Willow, come on." Anya said impatiently as she held the door open. "The foods ready, and I'm not waiting for you any longer. I'm hungry." She said in her usual self-centred manner, giving the red head a final look before disappearing inside, but graciously left the door open for her.

Willow stared at the now empty exit to the courtyard that Giles shared with the other occupants of the condos that neighboured Giles'. Giving her head a small shake as she turned away the noise of her friends inside drawing her attention and she smiled a little smile as she heard snatches of the lively conversation and she stepped inside shutting the door behind her. She would catch up with Buffy tomorrow and everything would be fine. It was more than likely that Buffy was just feeling drained from the battle she had fought… and she swore that she saw blood staining Buffy's jacket… so everything would be fine. She thought with a determined nod, before joining the others as a clean-up was underway as Giles pulled out the last of the arrows from Spike's chest.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy grimaced as she pulled her jacket off, the arm that had been struck by that arrow twinging angrily at having the material rub over the wound. Throwing her jacket down carelessly; the once loved jacket ruined by the gaping arrow hole in the arm, not to mention the blood that was now staining it. Moving over to her old vanity she sat down with a sigh as she picked up the rolled up bandage she had placed there earlier. Unravelling it she began wrapping it around her arm with a practiced ease.

Outside Angelus looked up at Buffy's mothers house, his eyes focused on Buffy's old bedroom window where he had seen her small form just a few moments ago. He loitered for a moment wondering whether he should go up to her or to leave her be for now… before walking towards the house with a determined stride, needing to get the added tension he could feel between himself and his mate resolved, hating the twisting knots it was making his insides; it was a feeling that was happening all too often lately.

Inside her old room Buffy finished wrapping the bandage about her injured arm, and secured it in place with the small hooked fastener. The familiar tingling over her senses growing stronger and she sighed not knowing whether she was glad that he was coming to her or if she wished that he had decided to leave her to moping. Sometimes a girl needed a good mope. Turning in her chair when she felt him about to enter her room. "I was wondering if you were going to come up." She murmured, her eyes not quiet looking at him as she felt a sudden burst of awkwardness settle over her.

"And I was wondering if you'd want me too." Angelus murmured, skipping over the sarcastic remark that had come to mind, not wanting to make the situation worse.

Buffy lowered her gaze to the safety of the carpet and gave a helpless little shrug, not really knowing what to say… not knowing herself what she had wanted. Steeling herself, she lifted her gaze back up to him. "So… what happened?" Buffy forced herself to ask as she met his dark gaze.

Angelus stepped fully into the room his arms uncrossing from his chest, not needing a further explanation to know what she was referring to. "I let him go." Angelus murmured, carefully eyeing the way she was perched on the chair positioned in front of her vanity. "But before you go all postal Slayer on me…"

Buffy shook her head rapidly as she chewed on her lower lip. "No, it's ok…" Buffy swallowed. "I mean… it's not ok-ok…" She frowned. "What I'm trying to say, is that I get it… he's family… your family…" She babbled self-consciously, her feet shuffling back and forth over the carpet, before not being able to sit there anymore she jumped to her feet, the urge to pace back and forth to dispense with some of the anxious energy that she was feeling, an energy that only seemed to grow as she felt Angelus' gaze focused on her.

Her pacing was brought to a halt by Angelus' strong gentle hands clasping her shoulders and her gaze automatically went up to his. Angelus gave her a smile. He could feel her strong muscles trembling beneath his hands, due to her anxiety and nervousness. "I chased him out of town." He assured her. "I doubt that he'll be coming back anytime soon."

"Oh… well, that's good." Buffy murmured attempting a smile, not quite sure if what she was hearing was real… it seemed so… un-mix-y in the world of Buffy Summers, it was supposed to be painful… it was supposed to end with him stalking out in anger… that was the usual flow of the world of Buffy. Things started to look good… and then it all went to hell in a hand basket.

"It's more than good, Buff." Angelus murmured, a smile pulling up his lips at the cute wide eyed look she was giving that was accompanied by a smile that lit up her eyes brightly.

Buffy let out a breath, her body relaxing somewhat, feeling reassured by his presence and the expression on his face, and almost against her will her shoulders slumped, the weight that she had felt settling in on her from the moment she had found out that Angelus' Childe had come to town lifting from her relief replacing it. "Oh God." She muttered, in relief pressing herself against his strong masculine body.

Angelus shifted his hands from her slender arms so that he could wrap his arms around her back, holding her against him. "Hey." He murmured, not sure exactly what to say in that moment, he wasn't used to comforting people… but all he could think of to do was hold her… despite the fact that he wanted to say something. "It's alright." He murmured, feeling awkward at just how lame it sounded. He was a notorious smooth talker could talk his way into the pants of any woman he wanted… and yet he couldn't think of the words that would bring his girl… his future mate comfort in her time of need.

Buffy curled her fingers into his silk shirt as she worked up the nerve to lift her head from the comfort of his strong chest. "You have no idea how scared I was,"

"Scared?" Angelus asked, as his hand stroked up her back.

"That I'd lose you." Buffy forced herself to finish, wanting to get it all out, since she had decided to be honest… to bare her heart and soul, and it caused her heart to beat faster as she waited for his response.

"Lose me?" Angelus said surprised. "Buff, why would you think that?" He asked a frown of confusion pulling down his brow.

Buffy shook her head and chewed gently on her lower lip once again. "It's just crazy insecure girl stuff."

Angelus sighed quietly to himself, his hands still stroking up and down her back. "If there's one thing that you should have learned about me by now, is that I'm not so easily chased off. If you wanted to do that, you'd have to try a lot harder." Angelus smirked. "A stake through the heart ought to do it." He said teasingly, earning a smile from his girl.

"Well, I don't think you'll have to worry about that. I'm kinda starting to like having you around." Buffy murmured.

Angelus smiled, flashing his pearly whites for a brief moment. "Only like?"

"Haha, don't push it." Buffy teased mirthfully, forcing herself to ignore the twinge of fear that her happiness wouldn't last. That it would once again be crush cruelly under his care.

Angelus dipped down, his eyes carefully watching her expression, not seeing any sign of rejection he took her lips in his, his tongue flicking out to taste her lips, causing Buffy to gasp. And like any other self-respecting red blooded man he used the opening to push his tongue past her lips to taste her mouth for the first time in what felt like months.

Buffy moaned deeply her hands tugging on his shirt in passion as her tongue battled with his in a passionate dance. Angelus hands tightened around her for a long moment, holding her closer against him, before he forced himself to pull back despite his aching hunger for her. "Perhaps I should go." He murmured huskily, the before 'I can't' was silent, but audible none the less in the air between them. He pulled back further, releasing her from his arms.

Buffy licked her lips tasting him on them, tasting him in her mouth to. Reached out almost automatically she grasped him by the sleeve halting his retreat, causing him to look back at her surprised, but also hopeful… it had been so long… and he missed her… in more ways than he could have possibly imagined a few years ago. Buffy swallowed thickly, trying to find her voice through the desire she was feeling rushing through her veins. "No, don't." She mumbled thickly, her hazel eyes wide and dark with her lust for him.

Angelus turned back to face her fully, forcing himself to move slow and be gentle despite the excitement that was coursing through him at the possible prospect of taking his future mate to bed for the first time in over a month… and for all intents and purposes for the first time when they both wanted it without ulterior motives or magic clouding the issue. Raising a hand he brushed it down the side of her face, feeling the softness of her warm skin and the coolness of the length of her soft blond hair. "Are you sure?"

Buffy stepped closer to him releasing her hold of his sleeve, to hook her thumbs in the waist of his leather pants. "I'm not a tease."

Angelus chuckled. "Actually, I'd say you are a tease… most of the time without even realizing it." Angelus murmured, his eyes looking her over appreciatively, her deceptively powerful body so close to his it would be touching his completely if she just leaned towards him even just a millimetre.

Buffy smiled a smile that turned into an elated gasp as Angelus scooped her up into his arms and her arms settled around his neck, the smile still curling up her lips, lighting up her face as he walked them to her bed. He set her down on the soft mattress, watching for a moment as his girl scooted up the mattress with her arms, as she kicked off her shoes with her feet letting them fall off the bed, her hungry hazel eyes watching him, watching him as he watched her. Slipping off his own shoes, he kneeled onto the bed and crawled over her, his eyes meeting hers once again. His hands came to rest on either side of her head on the pillow. "You have no idea how many times I imagined taking you on this bed." He murmured, his voice husky with his need, his head dipping down to catch her lips with his.

Buffy moaned as his lips caressed hers. "I-I don't… know if I want to know what you were imagining." She murmured around his lips.

Angelus pulled back a little. "It wasn't all bad…" He murmured carefully. "Which… made it worse." He admitted.

Buffy stilled underneath him. "And now?" She murmured, her eyes searching his.

"And now," Angelus murmured. "You're my girl." He said truthfully, biting back the 'my mate' that wanted to spill out to, not wanting to scare her off… not now that things were finally moving forward. To his relief Buffy smiled, before leaning up off the pillow to kiss him once again. He groaned deep in his throat one of his hands slipping beneath her shirt to caress and tease the skin underneath, causing Buffy to gasp against his lips, her own hands moving over him, working over his clothes tugging at them, pulling at his jacket and obligingly removed his jacket, letting his drop to the floor. Immediately Buffy's hands went to the buttons on his silk shirt undoing them, her hands luxuriating in the feel of his cool skin against hers.

Angelus pulled her shirt over her head and threw it to the floor, his eyes roaming hungrily over her golden skin.

She let out a mewling sound as Angelus' lips brushed over her breasts, causing her to gasp, her back arching up off the bed and her hands to fist in his thick soft hair. Angelus kissed and nipped his way down her breast, his teeth gently nipping at her pebbled nipple through the lacy material of her bra causing another mewl to come from Buffy her hands tugging at his hair, before she released his hair to slide them under the back of his shirt, forcing the silky material to slide down his arms until the still done up buttons of his shirt stopped the removal of his shirt. Angelus undid the last couple of buttons that Buffy had forgotten in the wave of lust that had hit her due to his ministrations. Buffy hands slide his shirt off the rest of his shoulders and moaned in denial when his hands and mouth left her as he sat up slightly to remove his shirt completely.

Buffy forced herself to sit up slightly after a short moment, her hands reaching back for the clasp of her bra, a satisfied breath escaping her as she felt the catch unclasp and her bra loosened and without a second thought she pulled it off her and threw it in amongst the muddled amount of clothes that where already on the floor. Angelus growled lustily, before lowering himself back down to his girl, his mouth hungrily tasting her skin, enjoying the lusty sound of appreciation escaping her lips. His hands went to the buttons on her jeans, expertly getting them undone and began pulling them down her legs. Buffy helped him as she lifted her hips off the mattress, her body trembling with her need for him as she moaned as his mouth continued to worship her skin, making her body ache deep inside, her body wanting him closer, wanting to feel him inside her… deep inside of her… like she hadn't in what at this moment felt too long. "Angelus, please… I –I need you." Buffy pleaded as Angelus threw her pants away from him.

Angelus hands fell to his own pants, undoing the belt, before working on the buttons that fastened the soft leather pants closed. Buffy sat up once again, sliding her body up against his, her mouth tasting the skin of his shoulder as she nipped then licked the cool flesh, the responding groan Angelus emitted making her feel powerful and sexy. "You're wearing too many clothes." She told him as she looked up at him a lusty expression on her face as she smiled up at him cheekily.

Angelus rid himself of his pants in a practised flourish of motion, before grabbing her pulling her up tighter against him, pressing his heavy erection against her, lifting her a little bit more so that it was nestled between the soft, hot, wet folds of her sex making her gasp heatedly her hazel eyes darkening further as she looked up at him from beneath heavy lashes. "Not anymore." He rumbled huskily, his hands roaming over her earning pleasant little sighs and mewls from her parted lips as she breathed heavily, her hands clutching at him, caressing him, worshiping him as he was worshipping her golden body.

With a swift movement Angelus laid her back down on the bed swiftly following her down, the ache in his body increasing as he looked down at her body, that was telling him silently just how much she wanted him… just like the scent of her of arousal filling his nose was telling him the exact same thing. Kissing her deeply and hotly his tongue massaging hers, her hands clutching at his shoulders as her legs slid up the bed, her feet caressing his legs, before she wrapped her legs around his hips, pressing him against herself intimately as she rubbed herself wantonly against him. "Ready for me, lover?" Angelus murmured heatedly against her ear, before nipping her earlobe.

Buffy moaned her hips jerking up against him urgently. "Please, Angelus… I need you." She pleaded.

Angelus groaned her words sending a wave of lust through him that went straight to his groin. Beyond pleased that she had said the words that he had so desperately wanted to hear from her. "Shh. You know that I'll look after you." He murmured reassuringly through the husk of his arousal.

Reaching in between them, he positioned himself at her wet and welcoming entrance and with a smooth movement of his hips he seated himself deeply inside of her, his body stilling on top of her as he tried to keep control of himself, the feel of her tight hot walls after so long of not being able to touch her, feel her had him grappling for control over himself. Buffy squeezed her legs about him impatiently, as her body that had felt a jolt of arousal at his entering her settled into a urgent pulsing need inside of her that continued to torment her as he remained still inside of her. She ran her hands up his back, bracing herself against him as she began rocking herself against him, squeezing her legs about him with each thrust that brought him back deep inside her. Angelus groaned, his own hips beginning to move at a less then relaxed pace, Buffy impatient thrusts not allowing him to find the self-control he had been aiming for.

They rocked together, their bodies in tune with each as their hands and mouths roamed. The sounds of their pleasure and their bodies slapping together with each powerful thrust filled the room. Buffy rolled her head from the side her eyes opening to stare up at Angelus to find that he was staring down at her with an intensity that had her cheeks flushing darker in increased pleasure, a loud keen escaping her as he continued to thrust into her. Angelus dipped his head down capturing her lips in a heated kiss, which Buffy returned with rapture, her hands sliding up from his back to bury themselves in his hair as her legs squeezed around him she could feel her orgasm beginning to build inside of her getting closure with each thrust of his hips, and she squeezed her legs around his hips tighter, her hands fisting in his hair as she arched up off the bed as her climax over took her body making all her muscles quiver at once as her sheath spasmed about his cock as he continued to thrust inside of her.

Angelus groaned his hands coming to rest on her hips as he thrust inside his mate harder, all semblance of control leaving him as his balls tightened painfully as Buffy's sheath continued to squeeze about his shaft in an all too enticing way. With a few more urgent needy thrusts Angelus' body arched his mouth leaving Buffy's as his body drove into hers one last time, before his seed shot from him up into Buffy's body and into her waiting womb. After a drawn out moment, Angelus collapsed on top of her, one of his hands stroking her hair as he luxuriated in the feel of her hot luscious body under his and the feel of her soft hair against the skin of his palm.

Buffy sighed shakily, her body trembling from the aftershock she was experiencing. She stroked her hands up and down his back her eyes closed as she breathed deeply taking in all the emotions that were coursing through her and the pleasure that was still tingling through her body.

She groaned regretfully as Angelus shifted, slipping his softening member from her tight depths as he rolled onto the bed beside her. With more than effort that she would normally exert she rolled over onto her side with a contented sigh as she snuggled up against Angelus' chest, her head resting against his chest, her arm resting beside it, her fingers idly caressing the soft cool skin of his collar bone as she continued to drift and bask in the feelings of her afterglow and the feel of his familiar body. After a moment she shifted pressing a kiss against his skin enjoying the silence that was actually comfortable as Angelus gently stroked her back in a tender caress that had her smiling warmly. After a moment more though she lifted her head off his chest her expression curious as she looked up at him meeting his warm brown eyes.

The warmth in his eyes had another reserved part of her easing… warming, a part of her having been nervous that she would be greeted with the same cold brown mocking eyes she had been greeted with when she had finally run into Angelus in Angel's apartment after their first and only time together, but his eyes look nothing like the ones she had been greeted with that night. "So, why were you at, Giles' tonight?" She asked, as Angelus' hand stroked over her hair, making her eyes slide closed for a moment in pleasure his touch aroused in her.

"I was there to protect you." Angelus murmured as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Buffy smiled happy at his statement, before a small frown creased her brow. "How did you even kno…"

"Demons, Buff." Angelus cut her off. "They talk… and none of us like vengeful spirits. They aren't picky about who they reap vengeance on. I was coming back from making sure that Penn had done what I'd told him when I came across a couple of demons talking about vengeful spirits and I just happened to remember the death of that priest…"

"So, you just put the pieces together." Buffy murmured as she stroked her fingers over his chest, her eyes lowering from his for a moment, before she raised them to meet Angelus' once again.

Angelus gave a small shrug. "I'm a clever guy." He murmured with a smile.

"So I've noticed." Buffy replied as she lowered her head back down to his chest. "I'm glad you were there." She admitted, as she settled back down.

"So am I." Angelus told her, his hand settling on her back, after a moment he looked down at her. "Was it just me, or was there some tension between you and red tonight? She was acting all guilty."

Buffy frowned for a moment, before she gave her head a small shake, before snuggling in closer against Angelus. "It's nothing… It was just a high stress situation…" Buffy muttered with a small shrug. "I mean things were said, but I know that she didn't mean them… not really…" Angelus' hand stilled for a moment on Buffy's back a dark frown pulling down his brow as he held back the growl that wanted to rumble angrily from his chest as he wondered just what the novice Wiccan had dared say to his girl that would make her feel guilty and his Buffy feel upset. "And she's still missing Oz. She's trying to hide it, but I can tell, we can all tell. I mean her reaction to the whole vengeful spirit thingy is more than enough to let us know that she's still suffering." Buffy sighed and shivered a little as the cool air of the room began to affect her sweat covered body as her body cooled down. "I'm sure that we'll work things out tomorrow or something." She assured herself.

Angelus remained quiet for a moment, the fact that she had failed to mention just what Willow had said that had hurt her not going unnoticed by him, which would mean without a shadow of a doubt that what had been said would be about him. It made him want to tear the witches throat out and leave her to bleed out and her dead carcass for the rats to get fat on. But he knew better, he couldn't harm her annoying friends no matter how much he wanted to reap vengeance for her… a vengeance that he knew Buffy was to kind hearted and forgiving to dish out. But he'd remain hopeful that one day, no matter how far away from now. Her annoying snot nosed little friend would reap their just rewards… "I'm sure you will." He forced himself to say and was rewarded by a soft kiss to his chest.

"You're staying the night, right?" Buffy asked, lifting her head once again off his chest to look at him with wide innocent eyes.

Angelus met her gaze unwaveringly, seeing the fear and uncertainty hovering in the backs of her eyes behind the hope that she was showing him. "I'm not going anywhere." He assured her.

Buffy smiled and rested her head against his chest again, only to give a small murmur of surprise as Angelus shifted them, shifting them just enough to get the blankets out from under them and draping them over their naked bodies not wanting Buffy to catch a cold from the chilled air in her old room. Buffy smiled again as she settled herself comfortably against Angelus' masculine frame her eyes closing as she felt his arms wrapping around her small frame, holding her against him like he wasn't planning to let her go throughout the entire night. It made her feel safe and more importantly loved. After they'd made love the thought had struck her… what if he was gone when she woke up… what if she woke up to find herself alone once again… it wasn't something that she wanted to have to face… not after she had finally found it in herself to hope. And for better or for worse she found that she believed him… that he would be there, that she would wake up with him lying their beside her, his arms holding her.

"I love you." Buffy murmured softly the smile still curling up her lips. Angelus pressed a kiss to the top of her head in response, making Buffy smile in appreciation as she drifted towards sleep, Angelus' hand stroking soothingly up and down her back once again as he allowed his own eyes to close. Elation running through him at the huge amount of progress that he had made with his future mate tonight, it was a great turnaround from believing that Penn had set him back a few steps with his actions… not to mention telling her what his plans were her for. That alone had made him worried that she would pull back from him. After all she was unsure of even dating him, opening herself up to him again let alone a permanent unbreakable binding relationship such as 'Mating'. His ears picked up the slowing rhythm of her heart as Buffy drifted completely to sleep in his arms, the scent of their sex and just how relaxed and happy she was.

Pressing another kiss into her hair, he held her tighter against him enjoying the feel of her sleeping beside him. It was such a completing feeling holding her in his arms as she slept, trusting him with her fragile life completely for the first time since he had broken her heart with a deliberate cruelty.

**A/N:** Ok, that's chapter 8 at last. Please be kind and let me know what you think, all your opinions are greatly appreciated especially this time as I'm not all that sure I'm happy with how this chapter turned out, but I wanted to get it out to you after all this time. And once again please forgive the extreme lateness of this chapter.


	9. Chapter 9 something blue

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Buffy the vampire Slayer or any of the characters mentioned in the cannon.

**A/N:** Alright once again sorry for the long wait for this chapter I know you were all waiting for it eagerly, and I hope you think that I have done this episode justice as I tried so hard to do. I am endeavouring to get review replies out today and tomorrow so hopefully if you haven't heard from me already you will soon. Anyway please enjoy the chapter

**CHAPTER 9**

**Something Blue**

Willow stepped slowly through Oz's room, her eyes gazing sadly around at Oz's belongings that he hadn't taken with him when he had skipped town. She was still finding it hard to believe that Oz was really gone, that he wasn't going to come walking through that door and give her that small mysterious smile that he used to give her whenever he saw her. Her lower lip trembled and she sat down on the edge of the bed that hadn't been slept in since he had left. Grabbing a shirt that had been left on the bed, having been discarded during Oz's packing, slowly bringing it up to her nose she breathed deep, pressing the soft material against her face for a moment, only to bring it away letting it rest in her lap. She couldn't smell him on the shirt, not like she wanted. Slowly lowering herself down Willow curled up on her side on the bed, the shirt that no longer smelled like Oz, but still belonged to him, was a connection to him, she hugged it to her chest tightly.

She didn't have class for a long while and no one knew where she was. She didn't even want Buffy to know that she came here to feel closer to Oz. She hated feeling this way and she hated feeling like her world was crumbling. And to make it worse it didn't feel like it was getting any better. It would get a little better, only for the whole crappy thing to crash back over her, making her heart break all over again. Willow closed her eyes tightly as she felt the tears that had been pricking hotly at the backs of her eyes slipped past them to begin running down her cheeks in wet tracks and her shoulders began to shake as she allowed herself to let the tears out, no one was here to see her cry, to judge her. The only person who knew that she was here was Devon and he wouldn't disturb her, even though he had said on more than one occasion that he didn't think it was good for her to mope around his room, but he wouldn't stop her. At least he hadn't yet… she feared that one day soon he wouldn't allow her entry… she had no idea what she was going to do if that ever happened. She hugged the pillow more tightly to her chest and nit her lower lip as she fought to smother a sob that made her chest so tight it hurt. It hurt so much that sometimes she felt as if she couldn't breathe…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy turned a corner and walked through an archway into the UC Sunnydale student lounge, her mind trying to wrap itself around what she had been trying to stuff into her head for the past hour. She's distracted from her thoughts when her gaze lands on Riley as he balanced on a ladder as he fiddled with a banner that was mostly obscured from her view as it was twisted around. She paused in her stride curious as to what the banner was for with all the female students lingering around watching Riley with the utmost attention. Finally Riley managed to untwist the banner and she couldn't help but smile as the entire banner was revealed, also revealing why all the woman where hanging around… and clapping at his success in fixing their banner that read 'UC Sunnydale Lesbian Alliance'.

"Hey Thanks, Riley." Once of the girls said as Riley climbed down the ladder.

Riley looked up at his handy work and smiled at his work. "Looks good." He complimented, before turning away his favour for the women of the Lesbian Alliance done. Turning around completely his eyes focused on Buffy who had just begun walking again and his friendly smile widened. "Oh, hey" He called. "Buffy." Getting her attention.

Buffy changed her direction and gave him a friendly smile. "Is there something you want to tell me?" She asked jokingly.

Riley gave her a confused look. "What?" He asked and Buffy glanced up at the banner with slightly raised brows before bringing her gaze back to Riley who glanced behind himself and took in the banner he had just put up. "Oh yes… I am a lesbian." He confessed with a slightly self-conscious smile as he stuck his hands in jeans pocket.

"Well, it's good that you're so open about it." Buffy said with a slight nod, her eyes drifting from Riley's hopeful face as her senses began to tingle and her smile brightened considerably as her gaze landed on Angelus as he walked in the door swinging shut behind him. "Uh, excuse me." She murmured distractedly, and began moving away before Riley even had a chance to open his mouth.

"Uh- sure, no problem." Riley said a little despondently as he watched Buffy walk away from him without even a backward glance. He couldn't help watching for a moment as Buffy met up with her boyfriend… the exact same one that Willow had told him was on the out, too him though it really didn't seem like it, common sense told him that he should give up but he was too deeply invested now… his heart was set on having Buffy Summers as his girl.

"Hey, I thought we were meeting at the café?" Buffy queried with a bright smile.

Angelus shrugged his broad shoulders, before reaching out and taking Buffy's smaller hand in his own. "We were, but I got here a little early and didn't feel like waiting." He replied with a smile of his own as they began walking back the way he had come. "So, what were you and the boy talking about?" He asked trying to make it sound as casual as possible.

"Oh nothing really, just lesbianism." Buffy said off handedly.

Angelus glanced over at her as he swallowed thickly at the imagery that put in his head, as well as a slight knot in his stomach that he recognised as jealously. "You're not thinking of joining there ranks, are you?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, no. It was Riley…" Angelus' raised eyebrow went higher. "He was hanging up or fixing up the campus' Lesbian Alliances banner." Buffy explained with a small hand gesture as she pointed back in the direction she had left Riley.

The two walked in companionable silence as they headed towards the campus café. "Did you want a coffee?" Angelus asked as they reached the café.

"Sure, I could go for something that's both bitter and sweet all rolled into one." Buffy quipped, before Angelus moved towards the line in front of the booth. Buffy smiled warmly at his back for a moment, basking in just watching him doing something so human as to wait in a line to get her a coffee. She watched him for a moment longer before turning and scanning the outdoor tables looking for a semi-perfect spot for them to sit together. Seeing a smaller table that she liked that was sort of out of the way of everyone else to give them at least a semblance of privacy. Walking over to it she pulled out the seat that was facing towards the line that Angelus was standing in to get them a coffee. Sitting down in the chair she settled down into the chair her eyes focusing on Angelus as he slowly moved forward in the line. It felt kind of novel watching her fella standing in a line to get coffee… it was so… normal that it was almost hard for her to believe that it was happening, but here it was right in front of her happening.

It wasn't long until she saw Angelus taking two take-away cups filled with hot coffee and immediately she turned her gaze away to look out over the brightly sunlit campus not wanting to be caught ogling him. Angelus' lips quirked up into a self-satisfied smirk as his eyes landed on Buffy her head angling slightly away from him as she looked out over the campus as if she'd been doing it the entire time, but he knew better. He'd felt her eyes on him like a caress the entire time he'd been standing in the line to get the potent coffee that the vendor was serving. Walking over to her, he set hers down in front of her before sitting himself down in the remaining chair that was opposite her. "Oh, thank you." Buffy said gratefully as she picked up her coffee and took a sip, eyeing Angelus curiously as he took a sip of his own. "You know, I didn't think you drank coffee?" She asked.

"Angel didn't drink coffee. Didn't like the way it made him feel. I on the other hand, love the edge." He said off handedly, not thinking about how it might affect Buffy until after her body language changed, as she shrunk in on herself slightly, adverting her gaze from him and took another sip of her coffee in an attempt to distract herself.

"Right, of course." Buffy muttered as she lowered the coffee from her lips a slight frown creasing her brow as she mentally berated herself. Sometimes… especially at the moment it was hard for her to remember that everything she knew about the man in front of her wasn't necessarily about the man in front of her.

Angelus took in the expression on her face and immediately decided to jump into the conversation he'd wanted to have when he'd asked her to meet him today. "So I've been thinking," Buffy brought her gaze up to his again, her expression clearing slightly at the distraction from her thoughts. "That perhaps you would like to go on a picnic…"

Buffy's expression went from shocked to surprised, too happy as she stared at Angelus trying to believe that what she had just heard was real. "Are you serious?!" She asked almost excitedly… probably too excitedly about something as common place as a picnic… but she couldn't find it in herself to care.

Angelus leaned back in his chair, finding himself more happy in her reaction then he thought that he would be. "Well, yeah. You said that you wanted some more normalcy. I thought a picnic would be something normal… but if you're not interested…" He said calmly, a small smile curling up his lips as he watched Buffy's expression, already knowing her answer.

"No, no!" Buffy said quickly, not wanting Angelus to change his mind, no matter how unexpected the offer, there was no way that she wanted to miss the chance on going on a picnic with her fella. "I want to go." She assured him, practically bouncing up and down in her chair in her excitement at the prospect of being able to just have a nice normal picnic date with Angelus…

"But?" Angelus prompted, seeing and sensing the slight hesitation behind the unmistakable excitement.

Buffy sighed softly and leaned back in her chair, as much as she hated to look a gift horse in the mouth, but… "But, I didn't think that something like a picnic with ya sweetie would be up your alley." She admitted, before taking a large sip of her hot coffee in an attempt to swallow down her urge to spiral off into one of her tangents.

Angelus gave a small shrug, in all honesty a picnic really wasn't his thing, in fact it was probably the furthest thing from it, but he remembered Buffy's distress over thanksgiving all too well. She'd never get the normalcy she had had before becoming The Slayer, but he knew that he could do something for her. It was something little, but it was still something and that set him at ease. "It's something for you." He answered carefully, not wanting his girl to think that he didn't want to go.

Buffy smiled delightedly, his words rebounding through her brain, and she took a large gulp of her coffee to stop herself from rambling like she was want to do in her excitement. "It sounds great." The extra buzz of the coffee plus her happiness setting her to bouncing up and down in her seat again. "Really, really great… so when can we do it… the picnic?" She asked her hazel eyes sparkling happily at Angelus who couldn't resist the urge to smile over her excitement at such a small thing as a picnic.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy strolled beside Willow who had joined her on her patrol as an excuse to get out of the dorm room and stop her blond friend from worrying about her for moping alone in the room. "I just couldn't believe it you know." Buffy gushed, a spring in her step as she walked, finding that she was still very excited at the prospect of her very normal daylight date with Angelus. "A picnic, it's so…"

Willow shrugged a little listlessly, trying her best to hide how out of spirits she was and how much she didn't like the idea of Angelus and Buffy on a picnic. She'd be thrilled if it was Riley on Buffy going on the date, but as things were going Riley wouldn't be able to get a foot in the door for a while. "It isn't very, Angelus-y like." She muttered.

"I was gonna go for normal. It's been so long since I've done anything that normal. I mean it's gonna be a completely demon-free zone… well except for Angelus… and I'm babbling… sorry Wills." She murmured apologetically as she looked at her red headed friend, searching her face for any signs of distress, feeling guilty over her gushing happiness when her best friend was still getting over the loss of her long time love. She picked up signs of strain and tiredness on Willow's face, but no sign of tears or sadness, but still she felt bad…

Willow forced herself to shake her head and give Buffy the best smile that she could muster. "No, don't be silly. I'm glad that you're happy, and it's good that Angelus being so good to you. It's about time that he started doing something right." She forced herself to say, tho she meant the words all of them, but it didn't change the fact that she believed that Buffy would be better off without him, but she didn't want to fight with Buffy again! It had been awkward enough the first couple of days after thanksgiving. Buffy had been civil enough, but… she had felt awkward all the same.

Buffy smiled gratefully, relief filling her at her friends' supportive words. She was so used to the disapproving looks and uncomfortable disapproving silences whenever Angelus was mentioned that she was still getting used to the tentative support that was being offered to her. "Yeah, it is definitely a nice change." Buffy admitted. "Now I just wish that the little voice in my head that keeps telling me that it's too good to be true will just disappear and let me be completely and utterly happy."

Willow hesitated only a short moment. "The little doubtful voices aren't always a bad thing." She offered, glancing quickly over at Buffy to judge her reaction.

Buffy sighed deeply. "Yeah, I know. But in this case, I'm hoping that the little voice of doubt is just that." A growl pierced the night and a vampire jumped out from behind a bush and Buffy sighed as she drew her stake from its hiding place and with a practised motion she thrust the stake at him effortlessly piercing his heart without so much as blinking. The vampire crumbled to dust before them as she withdrew her stake and the two continued on their way down the path. "I mean… I think I deserve some kind of happy ending with the guy of my dreams…" Buffy trailed off with a sigh not bothering to say anymore, it was all ground that she had covered before. All things that she was doing her best to work through, to put it in the past were she wanted it to belong.

She wanted to be happy with Angelus without the plaguing doubts that seemed to love to harass her. Buffy gave herself a shake and forcefully shoved the thoughts to the back of her mind, they had no place harassing her now! She'd opened herself up to Angelus, she'd felt the keen fear from the possibility of losing him and it had made her realize just how important he was to her and how much she wanted this to work.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy perched as comfortably as she could on the edge of Giles bathtub trying to keep the tiredness that she was feeling off her face as she stared exasperatedly at Spike who was chained down to the tub. Her night having been rather sleepless due to her excitement over the picnic Angelus was taking her on… "So… you saw their faces, but you can't describe them." Buffy stated annoyed, it seemed like she had been in this bathroom trying to grill Spike for hours, but that was probably just the way the peroxide vampires presence always seemed to grate on her nerves.

"Well," Spike began as he leaned back in the tub trying to get comfortable in the tub, his expression full of smug arrogance, a trait he had obviously gotten from Angelus. "They were human. Two eyes each, kind of in the middle."

Buffy fought the urge to huff… and punch the annoying peroxide blond vampire. "Uh huh." She said a little slowly as she tried to keep herself somewhat calm. "And the lab?" She asked.

Spike rolled his eyes exasperated with all the questions being thrown at him. Not to mention the cuffs and chains weren't exactly comfortable. "Underground. I came out through an air vent." He divulged reluctantly. "I don't know exactly where." Spike turned his gaze from the aggravating blond to the black screen of the TV Buffy had reluctantly carried in here for him after a lot of bickering and nagging. "I'm done. Put the telly on." Buffy opened her mouth to give him a scathing retort, but was interrupted by Giles walking back into the bathroom with a steaming mug with the words 'Kiss the Librarian' written on it, clasp in his hand, a pink straw protruding from the mug. Spike licked his lips, his eyes fixated on the mug in Giles hand, almost salivating as the smell of the warm blood coming from the mug filled his nose. "It's about time! I hope you got it warm enough." He muttered as he watched Giles hand the mug gingerly to Buffy without so much as a word in response to Spike's jab.

Buffy took the mug with a reluctant sigh, her nose screwing up in disgust as she got a nose full of the warm blood, the smell almost making her gag reflex kick into play, with an effort she forced it down as she reached over so that the mug was close enough for Spike to reach the straw. Spike awkwardly leaned forward so that he could reach the straw. Wrapping his lips about the straw he sucked noisily, deliberately slurping in an effort to disgust Buffy further, her reaction to the warmed blood in the mug not escaping him. Buffy turned her head away disgusted with the noises. Spike released the straw for a moment unable to help needling Buffy. "I don't know why you're so dainty all of a sudden. You've done this for Angel maybe even Angelus… you must have." Spike went back to the straw and began sucking noisily again as he waited with anticipation for Buffy's response. Buffy turned back to look at him her hazel eyes flashing with annoyance as she withdrew her arm, leaving Spike with only the straw halfway filled with blood dangling from his lips, the blood dripping from it as Spike looked at her in surprised annoyance. "Hey! Give it!" He demanded through the straw.

"Ok, that's it." Buffy said firmly as she handed the mug to Giles as she stood up from the edge of the bathtub. "The invalid amnesiac routine is over. The kitchen is closed until you can tell me something useful about the commandos."

"I'm tryin' to remember. It was very traumatic." Spike said sarcasm and smugness dripping from every word.

Buffy scowled down at him her hands on her hips. "How long are you going to pull this crap?!" She asked with exasperation.

"How long am I going to live once I tell you?" Spike countered, with the first hint of real seriousness in his voice. Buffy took a step back from the tub, her hands clenching into angry little fists that were just itching to pummel the annoying peroxide blond that had wasted her entire morning and was beginning to eat into her afternoon!

Giles moved a little closure the warm mug still in his hand as he attempted to try and smooth things over and get something close to useful information out of Spike. "Look… Look, Spike…"He began, pausing for a moment as he considered just how he should word what he wanted to say next. The wrong thing would only make the situation worse, and his head was already beginning to pound, if things got much worse in here the soft steady pounding in his temples would become a vengeful migraine from hell. "We have no intention of killing a harmless… uh, creature…" He spoke carefully. "But we have to know what's been done to you. We can't let you go until we're sure that you're… impotent…" Giles explained.

"Hey!" Spike yelled, affronted at the word.

Giles winced slightly realizing just what he had said and just how it would have been taken by the deliberately difficult blond vampire. "Sorry, poor choice of words." He apologized, hoping to smooth things over once again. "Until we're sure you're, you're…" He stuttered as he tried to think of a word that wouldn't insult the vampire's manhood, but everything that came to mind would only make things worse.

"Flaccid?" Buffy suggested, unable to keep herself from riling Spike as she took as took a step towards the tub once again, her hazel eyes sparkling with vengeful mischief. Giles closed his eyes feeling his headache jump up a notch the pace of the pounding in his temples quickening.

Spike's blue eyes flashed angrily at Buffy. "You are one step away, missy." He warned her affronted once again.

"Giles, help!" Buffy pleaded sarcastically as she looked back at Giles for a moment before turning her gaze back to Spike, her expression patronising. "He's going to scold me." She said tauntingly. Spike growled loudly and lunged towards her, only to be brought up short by the chains forcing him to fight against his restraints in his desire to get his hands on Buffy. "You know what?" Buffy began speaking again, drawing Spike's attention away from his comical struggle. "I don't think you want us to let you go. Maybe we made it a little to comfy in here for ya." She suggested.

Spike gave her a disbelieving look. "Comfy?" He exclaimed angrily. "I'm chained in a bathtub drinkin' pig's blood from a novelty mug. Doesn't rank huge on in the Zagut's Guide." He grumbled, he was seriously beginning to regret coming here! He had to have been going starved crazy to think that coming here was a good idea! And to make matters worse despite this humiliation, his Sire knew that he was here and in the hands of The Slayer, but he had done nothing… and was probably laughing at him, the poncy bloody bastard! His blue gaze focused on Buffy this time a little more considering, he had absolutely no idea what Angelus saw in her. More bloody trouble then she was worth in his opinion!

"You want something nicer?" Buffy asked as she sat herself down on the edge of the tub once again. She turned her head slightly so that her neck was exposed to Spike hungry gaze as she leaned in towards him slightly, being sure to not get to close just in case. "Look at my poor neck." She said a little sultry as she caressed her finger up and down the soft slender column of her throat making sure to draw Spike's gaze to the thudding pulse in her neck. "All bare and tender and exposed… all that blood just… pumping away…"

Spike helplessly licked his lips, drool dripping down his chin as he felt his fangs elongate with his long time desire to taste this Slayer's blood. Giles rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Oh, please." He muttered tiredly, completely over the two's antagonizing antics.

"Giles, make her stop!" Spike pleaded, his eyes stuck on the calmly thudding pulse in Buffy's neck that she was taunting him with, with a blasé-ness that she wouldn't have dared if he could still bite her without the searing pain that lanced through his head each time he attacked someone.

Giles merely shook his head in exasperation as he walked out of the bathroom needing a break from all the antagonism in his bathroom. Entering his living room he rubbed his eyes tiredly. "If those two don't kill each other, I might just lend a hand." He muttered to Willow who had her nose buried in one of the many books she had scattered around her as she sat at his desk.

Willow gave him a sympathetic look, she could only imagine what it would be like in that room between Buffy and Spike's loathing for each other. "What about a truth spell?" She suggested as she stood from the chair, voicing the idea that had been floating about her brain whilst she'd been attempting to look for something useful in the books Giles possessed. "I'm not positive it would work on a vampire, but we could try. Make him fess up?" She rambled a little, not wanting to give Giles too big of a hope that it would definitely work, especially as she had never tried it before… and vampire's… well they weren't exactly human and as far as she could tell a truth spell hadn't been performed on one before, or if it had, it hadn't been documented in any book she had ever looked through.

"A truth spell, of course." Giles murmured relieved and surprised at himself. "Why didn't I think of that?" He muttered as he slid his glasses off his nose for an excuse to lower his gaze for a moment as he cleaned the already immaculate lenses, as he used the moment to help him gather his thoughts through the headache that had once again begun to recede at Willow's suggestion and he was suddenly gladder than ever that the red head was here.

Willow shrugged a little and gave him a small comforting smile as she stepped towards him. "'Cause you've had your hands full with the undead English Patient?" She suggested as she handed him the book she had found the truth spell in.

Giles replaced his glasses as he took the book. "Uh, yes… We'll have a go." He agreed, as he looked over the page with the truth spell, desperately hoping that it would work. He really wasn't sure how much more he could take of Buffy and Spike going round and round in endless antagonising circles.

"Looks pretty simple." Willow murmured. "I'll stop by the magick shop tomorrow." She told him, having already written down a list of all the things she would need to procure to perform the spell.

"Excellent." Giles said relieved that he wouldn't have to wait much longer to have Spike out of his hair one way or another.

"Alright." Willow began as she adjusted the shoulder strap of her bag. "I'll be back in the morning with donuts and motherwort." She promised Giles, before raising her voice so that the occupants in the bathroom would be able to hear her. "Bye, Buffy! I'll see you at home." She called.

"Bye!" Buffy yelled from the bathroom, a small pout forming on her lips at still having to be stuck here with Spike whilst her best friend was able to make a bid for freedom. With a sigh she turned her attention back to Spike who had the straw back between his lips as he greedily sucked the blood into his mouth, Giles having set it down on the bathroom counter before his departure.

"Great. Thank you, Willow." Giles said appreciatively. Willow nodded with a somewhat forced smile, before she headed for the door. Giles watched her go for a moment before taking a breath to steal himself, before he made his way back into the bathroom and was really rather glad that it was silent in their aside from the rather nauseating sounds of Spike feeding through the straw. "Um, Willow may have had a very helpful idea." Giles stated, breaking the somewhat tense silence in the room. "She seems to be coping better with Oz's departure, don't you think?" He asked hopefully.

Buffy gave a small shrug, not quite sure how to answer. It wasn't really her place to talk about Willow's heartache, as the best friend she knew more than most, and somehow she didn't think Willow would appreciate it if she let Giles know that she was still in a great deal of pain… after all Willow was doing the best she could at appearing like she was fine. "She still has a way to go, but yeah… I think she's dealing…" She answered cautiously.

Spike snorted releasing the straw unable to help putting in his two cents worth. "What, are you people blind? She's hangin' on by a thread. Any ninny can see that. One little shove and she'll crack like an egg." He taunted.

Buffy glared angrily at Spike, the last thing Willow needed was for Spike to start pushing her buttons in an attempt to make her crack! She'd had to deal with her fair share of that with Angelus during his years of terrorizing her, the last thing she wanted was for Willow to suffer any form of that, not even the watered down version Spike would probably want to deliver if he ever got the chance. "Willow's tougher than she looks." Buffy said firmly, her tone and eyes boring into Spike silently warning him against doing anything to hurt her friend.

Giles stood uncomfortably as Buffy stood jerkily and swept from the bathroom. Spike wriggled in the bathtub as he tried to follow Buffy… or rather the mug of rapidly cooling blood with his eyes. "Hey, hang on! I wasn't finished with that!" He shouted after her.

Giles unfolded his arms. "I think you are." He said coldly, before turning to follow after his Slayer.

Spike frowned after him. "But, I'm still hungry!" He shouted after them. "Damn it!" He muttered as he struggled with his restricting chains.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus sighed as he finally entered his mansion, his arms laden down with grocery bags, filled with the things he needed for the picnic he had promised Buffy. After that trip to the supermarket though he was beginning to regret offering the human tradition, it had almost been a painful experience trying to decide just what to get, after all he wasn't all that much of an expert when it came to human food. He knew Angel had dabbled in learning how to cook food in part to pass the time and in part in an attempt to impress Buffy if he ever had an opportunity to cook for her, not that he had ever really believed that he would get that chance… and he never had, having been to shy and nervous about it to offer, not that he hadn't wanted to. What he had learned wouldn't really help him out here though, but he had made things a little bit easier for himself by buying premade sandwiches, all he could do was hope that they tasted good.

Angelus began the task of putting the food away, especially glad now that he had his kitchen already in preparation for when Buffy moved in with him, it made it so much easier to store food, not something that he had had to do in two and a half centuries. Now there was only one other important thing that he needed to do today in regards to his picnic lunch date with Buffy tomorrow and that was to select a picnic site. And any demon trying to romance his girl knew that the site was almost the most important part in most dates. And this date was an important one for Buffy, it was a date that would show her that she could have some normalcy in her life, that not everything ended in fighting demons. It was something that he had become determined to do after he had learned of her desire to experience something normal once again at Thanksgiving.

Angelus cracked his neck a confident smile curling up his lips, despite not knowing much about the concepts of human food aside from Angel's knowledge, he felt like he was really settling back into his A-game, something he had been lacking after his return after some many years stuffed beneath the whining, brooding soul, but now he was back in business and determined to win his girl! His smile widened as he remembered Thanksgiving night, it had been completely unexpected after the terrible way the day had turned out, but it had been a gorgeous surprise one that he wasn't likely to forget anytime soon… if ever. It had been the most open she had been with him since the first night they had met and had gone a long way in gaining her trust. He'd learned a lot more about her feelings towards him and all of them had been what he had been hoping for, assuring him that he was on the right track on the road to gaining the love and devotion of his strong willed little mate.

Finished putting the food away, Angelus turned and made his way out of the mansion once again to go in search of the perfect spot to take Buffy on her picnic tomorrow. _'Perhaps I should look into procuring a car.'_ He thought idly, it wasn't like he truly needed one, not with his speed in a small town like Sunnydale, but sometimes it would be nice to just be able to get into a car and drive instead of walking or running everywhere, although it was harder to track scents in a car…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow stepped into Oz's room and stilled completely her eyes widening in shock and horror as she was greeted by an almost completely bare room. The only thing that remained was the stripped bed, the bed having belonged to the house not to Oz. Stepping in a little further she turned around hoping to see something of Oz's over the door, but it was just as despairingly bare as the rest of the room. She felt tears fill her eyes and a hopelessness that was even more painful than when Oz had first left her, because then… then there had been the hope… maybe just a small hope, but it had still been a hope that Oz would come back for her when he had found whatever it was that he had left to find, but now… now… he had taken his stuff leaving nothing but an empty room that had once held such happy memories that now only left her with such great pain… but wait!

What if… what if this was all just a miss understanding? What if Devon had simply packed up Oz's stuff to make room for a new housemate to move in? As much as she didn't like the idea of a stranger in Oz's room, it was better than the alternative!

With hurried steps Willow left the room, feeling more than a little desperate to find out the truth, wanting nothing more than for it to be a misunderstanding. She had to find Devon! Devon would know what was going on! He would tell her what had happened… _'Oz… please don't have completely left me… please?'_ Willow thought desperately as she practically flew through the house in search of Devon, hoping that he was home, but even if he wasn't she would wait, because she had to know and she had to know now, before the wondering drove her insane!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy looked down at Willow helplessly knowing that there was nothing that she could do or say to make her red headed friend feel better as she sat perched on the edge of Willow's bed. The red head herself was under the covers in her pyjamas, her face puffy and wet from her tears, tears that had reddened her eyes from all the tears that they had shed. "Devon said that he sent for his stuff." Willow hiccupped, as she forced herself to continue recounting the entire horror story to Buffy. "I guess that means he's planning on settling down somewhere… else. Not here." She said brokenly, her throat threatening to clamp down over the last couple of words. The pain they inspired threatening to close off her throat with a huge lump of pain that made it difficult to breathe… let alone speak around it.

"I guess so…" Buffy murmured sadly, her hand touching Willow's and the red head latched onto it with a strong grip that might have had a normal person wincing in pain.

"I feel like I've been split down the centre and half of me is lost." Willow admitted tormentedly.

Buffy squeezed Willow's hands gently. "I know." She sympathised, really knowing how that felt. "It feels like that now…" She began wanting nothing more than to comfort her friend, but Willow cut her off before she could get very far into her speech.

"Oz is gone." She said devastated.

Buffy didn't bother trying to explain again, knowing that now was not the time, maybe later when the pain was less she would be able to try and comfort her once again, but for now her words would mean nothing, for now only her presence might bring any amount of comfort to her. Kicking off her shoes, Buffy slid completely onto the bed lying down beside her friend, her hand still clasping Willow's. It didn't take Willow long to shift towards her on the bed burying her face into Buffy's neck as she broke down into heartbroken sobs as she hugged Buffy as tightly as she could. Buffy hugged Willow back, her cheek resting against the top of Willow's head, as they lay together Buffy offering whatever comfort she could, which she knew wouldn't be much, after all it wasn't all that long ago, but it felt like a life time ago, that she had been in Willow's position seeking comfort from her friend after a particularly painful encounter with Angelus. "It'll be ok." She murmured softly, in a tone so soft that Willow couldn't hear the words through her tormented sobs. "I promise, eventually it'll start getting better." She whispered in a calming tone, hoping that even if the words couldn't reach Willow that her tone would at least help to sooth her. _'I'm so sorry, Wills.'_ Buffy thought heartfelt-ly.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy looked around worriedly as she stood out on the grounds of the campus. She'd woken up this morning to find herself alone on Willow's bed with no sign of Willow in their dorm, not even a note to tell her where she had gone off to. She'd quickly gotten dressed and had went about looking for her about the campus only to find no sign of her. Normally she wouldn't be so worried, after all Willow was her own person, but after last night… she wasn't sure what her best friend just might get up to. She could remember just like it was yesterday how Willow had almost gotten hit by a car the last time she had been this upset…

Taking another look around the part of the campus she could see, before turning to head back inside. She wanted to look for her friend a little longer, but she had no clue as to where Willow would have gone and as much as she wanted to be there for her friend, she couldn't be there if Willow didn't want her there… it could just be that Willow wanted some alone time with her grief. She knew personally that sometimes a girl wanted some time alone with her grief so that she could cry, scream, punch and kick things without having an audience around to see her breakdown. And at other times she had wanted company to help distract her. Buffy sighed, all she could really do was trust that when Willow was ready for company again she would come back.

But still… she felt helpless… she knew that no matter what she did nothing would really make Willow feel any better. The only thing that could really lessen the pain and make it bearable was the slow healing powers of time. Friends could only do so much to help with the kind of pain she was feeling. Entering her dorm building once again, Buffy walked up towards the dorm room she shared with Willow, time was ticking by and she still had a picnic date to shower and get ready for. Which reminded her… WHAT THE HELL WAS SHE GOING TO WEAR?!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles quickly picked up his phone taking a deep breath to try and calm down his agitation, an emotion that Spike seemed all to adapt at bringing out in people. Inside the bathroom still chained down Spike reached desperately for the TV wanting to be able to reach the switches that were so close and yet so damnably bloody far, but the chains kept him firmly in place much to his frustration and he growled loudly in frustration as he yanked at the chains, before reaching for the TV once again. "Come one, now! It's telly time!" He shouted angrily, not wanting to miss even a moment of his favourite show.

Giles dialled the number he had memorized the day he had decided that he couldn't leave Buffy to fight all her battles alone and waited impatiently for the phone to be answered as it began to ring out. Giles opened his mouth to begin speaking the moment the ringing stopped, only for the girls answering machine to pick up the phone. "This is Buffy and Willow. We're not in right now, so please leave a message."

"Oh, uh, Willow… It's Giles." He began flustered at having gotten the answering machine instead of one of the girls like he had been expecting. "Um… I thought you were bringing the ingredients for that spell? I really have to…" Giles was cut off as he became distracted by Spike bellowing from the bathroom once again.

"Passions is on! Timmy's down the bloody well, and if you make me miss it, I'll…"

Giles placed the phone against his shoulder hoping to muffle his shouted words. "You'll what? Lick me to death?" He yelled annoyed, his morning hadn't turned out at all like he had expected and it was beginning to wear on his nerves… and patience. Raising the phone off his shoulder he once again placed it against his ear and spoke into it. "Look, uh… Willow. I think we ought to try the spell. Among other things, I'd like to shower sometime today. Alone." He added for emphasis just in case the red head had forgotten that the peroxide blond vampire was currently residing in his bathtub.

The bathtub Spike paused in his struggles and leaned back against the tub as he eyed the TV, wanting nothing more than to be able to turn the blasted machine on. Hoping that for once his show was running late and he wouldn't have missed anything, but knowing his luck lately he'd miss more than just a little. And the stuffy old Watcher was about as helpful as an English bloody flagpole!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"Can I open my eyes, yet?" Buffy asked as she continued to grip Angelus' arm, like she had from the moment he had told her to close her eyes. Something she had agreed to due to the romance of it, but now she was beginning to regret it. She wasn't used to being without her sight and it didn't feel right. It had her instincts telling her that she was vulnerable to attack from an unknown enemy. Not that Angelus would allow anything to happen to her.

"Not just yet." Angelus murmured. "Don't worry, I haven't led you into any trees just yet, have I?" he teased, sensing the nerves she was feeling at not having her eye sight, not that she couldn't just open her eyes at any moment. She was just too stubborn to open them after promising to keep them closed.

Buffy chuckled. "No, not yet, but there's still time." She teased gently, as she allowed Angelus to guide her. She felt them ascending up a hill and it didn't feel like she had pavement under her feet, in fact it felt like she had grass under her shoes, grass that covered some uneven ground. "Angelus, where are we going?" She asked again out of curiosity, as she tried to place where they were going. They had taken so many twists and turns since Angelus had had her closed her eyes that she had gotten completely disorientated, something Angelus had no doubt intended. After all what was the point of having her close her eyes if she could place where she was just simply out of the fact that she knew the town so well after so many years spent patrolling all the streets night after night.

"You'll see soon enough." Angelus teased with a chuckle of his own as he continued to guide her up the hill. "And no peaking."

"I'm not!" Buffy said a little hotly, before she realised Angelus was just teasing her once again. "Just shut up and get us there already. Ima hungry."

Angelus laughed amusedly as he guided his future mate around a rock. "Relax, we are almost there." He assured her and they lapsed into silence. Angelus looked ahead of them, they were getting close now, it would only be a little further and they would crest the hill bringing their picnic into view. He drew them to a halt just before the picnic he had set up came into view, and stepped in front of her.

"Can I open my eyes now?" She asked and began to open them expecting the answer to be 'yes' seeing as they had finally come to a stop.

Angelus placed a hand quickly over her eyes, before she could get her eyes even half way open. "No, not yet." He said, causing Buffy to pout in disappointment. "I'm just making sure that your eyes are still closed."

Angelus kept his hand covering Buffy's eyes as he stepped around behind her and began once again to guide her up the hill, there steps slow as Buffy moved carefully not wanting trip or walk into something. Finally Angelus stopped guiding her forward and his hand slid from her eyes. "You can open your eyes now.

Buffy blinked open her eyes, squinting as the bright sun hit her eyes after they had been closed for so long. But it didn't take long for her eye to adjust and she gasped happily as she took in the picnic blanket and the food that had been carefully placed on it on plates and containers all with coverings that protected them from any ants that could have found them and the pesky flies that were always hanging around ready to pounce on any food that was made available to them. "Wow, this is great, Angelus." She exclaimed happily as her gaze continued to wander around the picnic blanket.

Finally tearing her gaze away from the picnic blanket she took in her surroundings and couldn't help, but raise an eyebrow. "Lovers lane, huh?" She muttered, wondering slightly at his choice of locals.

Angelus shrugged a little trying to appear nonchalant. "It has the best view out of the entire town." He explained.

Buffy turned her gaze to the view that they would be taking in once sitting on the picnic blanket and couldn't help, but agree with him. "It looks so different during the day, no less pretty, but different." She murmured as she sat herself down on the blanket.

Angelus raised an eyebrow as he joined her on the blanket, a streak of jealous lancing through him. "You've been taken up here before?" He couldn't help but ask wondering who would have the guts to come out here with his girl.

Buffy shrugged. "Kinda. I had to come out here with Willow and Giles on a wolf hunt." She explained, her gaze flicking towards the woods that weren't so far away from them. A wood where she had saved Oz from the first and only hunter she had come across in Sunnydale. And she hoped that he was the only one she did come across, he had been awful… beyond awful. Buffy turned her gaze from the forest not wanting to think about it. It wasn't a happy night, or time for her and today of all days she didn't want to think about it, she just wanted to enjoy her normal picnic date with her boyfriend. "Oh, so sandwiches." She said changing the subject as she reached over and picked up one of the plastic containers containing a sandwich. Angelus watched as she tore open the container lid and pulled out a half of the salad sandwich, and took a bite. She paused in her bite for a second, but it was still long enough for him to see. Buffy swallowed down the bit of soggy sandwich. "Mm, yummy sandwich goodness." She murmured as she changed her grip on the sandwich, using it as an excuse to hesitate in taking another bite not wanting to insult Angelus' food preparations after he went to all the trouble of organising this picnic, especially when all she had to do was show up and eat.

Angelus reached up and placed a hand on her wrist preventing her from taking another bite of the sandwich. "What is it?" He asked, wondering if the supermarket employee had screwed him over when telling him which where the best sandwiches for a picnic.

"Nothing, it tastes great…" Buffy trailed off as Angelus raised a disbelieving eyebrow at her and gave a little defeated sigh, she never had been all that good of a liar. "It's just a little soggy. But it's all good, it still tastes good." She assured him as she took the sandwich completely in her free hand and took another bite. Angelus released her wrist and lay back against the blanket, his dark eyes watching her as she easily and quickly devoured the sandwich. He bit his lower lip as he watched her tongue flick out to catch some tomato juice that had tried to escape down her chin.

Buffy looked around the picnic blanket once again trying to decide what to try next, highly aware of Angelus' dark gaze on her. Picking up one of the containers he had packed. "Ooh chicken!" She exclaimed happily, as she opened the lid and took a deep sniff of the smell of the cold chicken. Picking out a small piece she popped it in her mouth and moaned at just how juicy and tender it was, just the way she loved her chicken. Angelus smiled, feeling proud at his choice of chicken. "I take it that the chicken is more to your liking."

Buffy smiled and shifted over to him. "Would you like a bit?" She asked, before gracefully swinging a leg over him to straddle his waist, leaning over him with the container in her hand.

Angelus smirked up at her, his hands coming up to grasp her hips, before sliding around to grab handfuls of her pert ass and giving it a squeeze exciting a gasp from his girl. "I'd much rather have a piece of you." He murmured lewdly.

Buffy stilled on top of him surprised and she could suddenly feel him hardening beneath her and she felt herself flush hotly as she felt a heat rush through her, a heat that settled in her core that had moisture gathering in her panties. She gasped as the world shifted around her as Angelus swiftly rolled them over, causing chicken pieces to go everywhere and Buffy promptly placed it down in an effort to save any that might have by some miracle had remained safely in the container. "Mm, Ang-Angelus," Buffy began, having to force herself to talking between Buffy melting kisses. "I don't, mmm… think this is a good idea."

Angelus released her lips reluctantly, his hands stroking up her sides. "Why?" He groaned, not having expected to be rebuffed by her.

Buffy bit her lip to keep a moan locked behind her lips, at his touch, before she rolled them back over so that she was once again straddling his hips. Wriggling up slightly so that she was straddling his waist and not feeling the hardness of his cock against her core, her hands splayed against his chest for balance. "Because anyone could come up and see us." She said honestly, before biting her lip nervously once again. The last thing she wanted was the embarrassment of being caught by some stranger whilst she was naked and in the throughs of passion. Especially in a small town like this, where it wasn't hard for your identity to get out…

Angelus stared up at her for a moment, his body burning with his passion for her, his fingers caressing over her sides as he fought for control over his desire for her. He cleared his throat as he met her hazel eyes could see her reciprocating desire in them, but also her reluctance, a reluctance that could probably be kissed away… but… "Well, then I guess I had better content myself with a piece of that chicken for now." He murmured, doing his best to sound unaffected by the situation.

Buffy feeling really self-conscious, scrambled off him. "Uh, hopefully there's some still in the container." She mumbled anxiously, her stomach churning in knots, suddenly feeling horrible. Her body pulsing with its own fading desire that she had stamped down to turn him down at the thought of being seen in such an intimate act. "Ooh, you're in luck." She exclaimed as she picked up the container. "There's one still safe and snug inside." As she turned her gaze back to him as she offered the container to him.

Angelus took a breath and picked up the piece of tender chicken, bringing it to his lips he took a bite of it the flavour bursting on his tongue. "Oh, I've just thought… can vampires even eat human food? I've always wondered about that."

Angelus swallowed the bite. "I actually don't know about that one." He replied, suddenly curious himself. "It's never really come up before. I haven't really been all that interested in human food for the past couple of centuries." He concluded, before stuffing the rest of the chicken into his mouth and chewing the juicy morsel, enjoying the different flavour after so many years. Angelus swallowed the mouthful, he glanced over at Buffy from beneath his lashes, his mind suddenly getting made up about procuring a car! Things might have gone a little differently if he'd had a car for them to retreat into!

Buffy nodded in understanding as she looked around the picnic blanket not really hungry anymore, but wanting something to do that may help her feel less awkward and anxious. Leaning forward she grabbed a container that looked to be filled with neatly sliced quartered apples. She let out a surprised gasp as she suddenly felt Angelus' strong hands grasp her sides and pull her back against him. The action almost making her lose her grip on the container filled with apples, but she managed to keep her grip on it as she was brought up against Angelus' well-muscled chest.

Angelus slid his arms around Buffy's waist as he situated her between his legs. He'd forgotten how skittish inexperienced women could be when it came to things like public sex, not that he considered this public sex, but for Buffy he was sure that it seemed very public and exposed… "Buffy, I don't mind." He assured her, before pressing a kiss into her hair and breathing in her scent. Buffy shifted in his arms, surprised and relieved. "I mean, we have plenty of years to indulge in all different types of sex." He said, his tone teasing in an attempt to put her at ease, not liking that she could still be so easily put on edge around him, especially over something so little. It was reminder of just how far they still had to go in their relationship, despite how far they had come. Despite his teasing tone though, he was serious, they had years together, he would ensure that. Nothing would come between them, he wouldn't let it!

"Years, huh." Buffy murmured as she pulled the lid off the container sealing off the apples.

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?" Angelus inquired teasingly.

Buffy shrugged. "I don't know… I think I actually like the idea of years." She admitted, making Angelus smile, glad that she was once again feeling at ease, not wanting to ruin the picnic he had gone to so much trouble to get together. "Oh, brown apples. I always thought it was funny that no matter how fast you try and get 'em sealed off, they always go brown."

"I've heard apples do that." Angelus murmured.

"That they do." Buffy replied before taking a bite out of the quarter she had picked up. After she had swallowed her mouthful, she could almost feel the strength of Angelus' curiosity and so held the last half of the apple quarter to him. His mouth brushed her fingers as he accepted her offer. "What do you think?" She enquired.

Angelus licked his lips. "I think it's been ages since I've had apple." He said quietly, his taste buds tingling with the sweet flavour of the fruit. Buffy held up the container for him so that he could take another piece. Buffy leaned her head back against his chest, her gaze settling on the amazing view of the town. The view actually made the small town look beautiful and peaceful. A smile curled up her lips as she relaxed against him, she'd actually managed a normal date, without demons or fighting or an apocalypse threatening to send the world to hell. All in all it was a great day, despite the way it had started. Reaching into the container she grabbed another apple slice, a few years ago she never would have thought that something a simple and relaxing as a picnic could bring her such peace and happiness, but now… it was all she wanted. Funny how things changed.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy sat with Anya and Xander at a table at the bustling Bronze, drinks in front of them as well as a small bowl of peanuts. "Geez, you mean Oz just sent for his stuff and didn't even call her? That's pretty harsh." Xander said, Buffy having just finished explaining why they had needed to gather at The Bronze on such short notice.

Anya nodded her agreement. "I only wish I had my powers back. I'd liquefy his entrails for her." She said seriously, feeling genuinely sorry for Willow, knowing all too well the pain of heartache herself.

Xander smiled at her. "That's sweet." He complemented his girlfriend, causing Anya to bounce happily in her seat, basking in the fact that she had actually been praised by Xander. "God, poor Will. No wonder she's…" Xander trailed off as his gaze landed on the red head they had practically had to force out of the dorm, as she danced to the driving music as if she didn't have a care in the world. Xander smiled pleasantly surprised. "Having a wonderful time." He observed.

Buffy swung around in her chair to focus on the dance floor her gaze immediately landing on Willow as she boogied down not caring what her dance moves looked like as she went with the flow. "Wow. Way to re-bound." She murmured impressed at the sudden 180 her friend had done.

"I believe that is the dance of a brave little toaster." Xander commented, the smile still on his face, glad to see some semblance of the happy go-lucky Willow, instead of the mopey one she had been replaced with.

The song ended and Willow stepped off the dance floor and finished making her way back to the table. "Hey, guys! C'mon!" She urged as she made it to the table. "This music's great!"

"It's nice to see you brought your boogie shoes tonight, Will." Xander commented relieved, it was such a pleasant turn around, especially seeing as when they had first went out all Willow had done was sit slumped in her chair with a broody frown, one that could have given Angel a run for his money in the broody department… at least when he had still been all broody and soulful…

Willow nodded. "Yeah…" She agreed, enjoying the warm buzz that was making everything seem not so hugely bad. "I-I know I've been sort of a party-poop lately, so I said to myself, 'Self!' I said, 'It's time to shake and shimmy it off.'"

Buffy looked at Willow surprised. She was happy that Willow seemed to be doing better, but the suddenness of it seemed a little off to her… "Sounds like a good policy." She said supportively.

"Yeah!" Willow said excitedly. "And it works, too. You know, I figure, in the grand scheme of things, we're all just…" Willow explained as she moved to grab her jacket from her chair forgetting what she had gone to so much trouble to hide under there, as she carelessly pulled her jacket from the chair, she knocked the bottle off the chair and it fell to the ground with a guilty thunk, the foamy liquor spilling out of the already dirty Bronze floor, all of them looking down at the bottle, the evidence of her boozing making Willow trail off guiltily.

"Drunk?" Buffy finished, feeling a little disappointed that her friend had turned to booze, but then… she wasn't one to throw stones…

Willow laughed, a slightly high-pitched laugh as she tried to shrug it off like it was nothing as he bent down to pick up the over turned beer, not wanting anymore of it to spill uselessly onto the floor, not when it was doing such wonders inside her tummy. "Drunk… I mean, that's such a-a strong word. Kind of a guttural Anglo-Saxon word. Drunk."

Xander frowned at his best friend, remembering all too well just how 'well' Buffy's run in with beer had turned out. "Will, not loving the drowning of the sorrows."

Willow frowned back at him, slightly offended. "Not drowning," She denied. "Wading. A-A-And… See?" She gestured to the bottle and held it up slightly higher so that they could all see the words that where on the label. "Light. No big." Wanting to make her friends see that she wasn't doing anything wrong.

"No big?" Buffy questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Anyone remember when Buffy had the fun beer-fest and went one-million years B.C?" She asked, hoping to make Willow see that trying to drink away the problems wasn't the way to go… something she had found out the hard way.

"Sadly without the fuzzy bikini." Xander couldn't help, but say. Only to get elbowed by Anya who wasn't too impressed with his comment.

"Off topic, Xander." She muttered with a forced smile, trying to appear as jealous as she felt.

"Right." Xander agreed as he rubbed his abused side. "Topic now." He promised as he got up and walked towards Willow. "Will, how about you give me that beer?" He suggested as he reached for the bottle that was firmly clasped in her hand.

Willow jerked the bottle away from Xander's out reaching hand, getting annoyed now, why couldn't they just understand and leave her be?! "No! Why should I? I've got pain, here," She continued without waiting for an answer. "Big time legitimate pain."

"We all have pain, Will." Xander said truthfully.

Willow scoffed openly at that. "Oh, like what? 'Oh, poor me… I live in a basement.'" She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's dire." Xander looked at Willow completely shocked and offended that his best friend would speak to him like that, before shaking his head, doing his best to not snap back with something that would be as equally painful for the red head as he forced himself to stiffly turn and retake his seat next to Anya at the table, being silent as he brooded.

Buffy slipped off her chair and took Willow firmly by the arm, rather shocked herself at the words that had spilled out of her friends mouth, suddenly feeling like this hadn't been such a good idea after all. "Ok, you know what? That's it," She said firmly as she grasped the beer bottle and pulled it effortlessly from Willow's resisting hand and set it on the table away from Willow. "I'm taking you home."

Willow pulled away with a bit of an effort. "No, I don't want to." She denied vehemently.

"Well, you thank me when you still have a friend in the morning." Buffy said a little tightly.

Willow wilted at that, her shoulders slumping, as if Buffy's words had done something to sober her, and caused her to realise just what she had been saying. "I just can't stand feeling this way. I want it to be over." She admitted tearfully.

Buffy expression softened. "It will. I promise." She assured her friend. "But it's gonna take time." She tried to explain.

"Well, that's not good enough." Willow denied, not wanting to feel this way at all. There was no way she wanted to feel this way for as long as time took to make it go away!

"I know." Buffy tried to sooth, her anger and disappointment completely disappearing at her friends obvious sorrow. "It's just how it is. You have to go through the pain."

"Well, isn't there some way I can just make it go way?" Willow asked pleadingly. "Just 'cause I say so? Can't I just make it go 'poof'?" Buffy just looked at her friend helplessly, wishing that she could say that there was. That all she had to do was close her eyes and wish really hard and all the pain would just go away like it never was… but that unfortunately wasn't life. It was hard… and short cuts usually led to badness… at least that was what she had found…

"Come on. Let's go back to the dorm." Buffy suggested, taking Willow's arm again and this time the red head allowed herself to be led out of The Bronze. Willow bit her lip, a small frown of concentration darkening her brow the word 'poof' having put an idea in her head. An idea that if she could pull it off would make all her pain and sorrow go away and she wouldn't have to feel it anymore! And she should be able to pull it off… from what she had read in her studies, it was a simple spell…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus groaned uncomfortably as he leaned over the toilet bowl, as his stomach heaved uncomfortably as he coughed up the contents of his stomach, the human food he had eaten earlier that day splattering into the toilet bowl. Finishing Angelus leaned away from the toilet bowl, propping himself up against the cool bathroom wall. "Well, that answers that question. Vampires can't eat food." He muttered, vehemently wishing that he hadn't eaten any of the food he had brought for Buffy. After so many years of being a vampire, he had forgotten just how unpleasant it was to have to heave up the contents of his stomach. One thing was for certain, he never ever wanted to experience throwing up again! Angelus sat on his bathroom floor for a few moments longer, just to make sure that his stomach wasn't about to have him bending over the bowl again, before slowly getting to his feet and exiting the bathroom.

Making it to his bed he flopped down with another groan, his mouth tasted horrible, almost as horrible as it did after having choked down some pigs blood. The day had been good though, his idea of a picnic had turned out to be a great one. Buffy had been thrilled, he doubted that he had seen her so relaxed before. Angelus smiled the day had been a huge success despite the one small hiccup…

Angelus got up from the bed with a groan, he didn't feel like going out again, but the taste in his mouth needed washing out, and there was nothing better to wash out ones mouth then a few pints of blood.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Inside her dorm room Willow stared up at the ceiling as she pretended to be asleep, the sounds of Amy the rat squeaking and Buffy's calm and even breathing filled the room. Carefully Willow sat up, her gaze focusing on Buffy trying to determine whether or not The Slayer was actually asleep. As she drew away her covers and careful stood to her feet and there was still no sign of Buffy noticing her movements, something she would have become alert to immediately if she was awake. Willow crept towards the end of her bed where her trunk lay, kneeling in front of it she carefully opening the lid not wanting to the hinges to suddenly squeak and accidentally wake Buffy.

Looking down at all her spell components, grabbing out what she needed as quietly and as quickly as she could, she stood her arms hugging her spell book and candles and incense, bowl, pentacle, a goblet, a tray, and sachets filled with different herbs that she knew she would need to complete the spell she wanted to weave. Amy the rat gave a particularly loud squeak, drawing Willow's gaze to her. "Shh!" Willow scolded in a whisper, Amy just twitched her nose at her and stared at her with her beady little eyes. Willow frowned. "Don't look at me like that. I know what I'm doing." She huffed in her whisper, before turning away from Amy and stalking out of the dorm room, being sure to close the door behind her as softly as possible.

Willow entered the bathroom flicking on the light and swiftly began setting up the bathroom floor, wanting to completely set up the bathroom and complete her spell. A sense of urgency gripping her, this was a floor bathroom after all, anyone could come in here at any time of night. Lighting the red candles that she had set up in a circle and the incense. The scent of it filling her nose, walking into the centre of the circle she had created. She looked over the bowl and pentacle and the goblet before nodding as she sat down with crossed legs, happy that she had set it all up correctly. Her gaze went over the three trays with the herbs she had selected and she nodded at herself again happy with how she had set them up. Everything was going nice, all she had to do was read the chant from the spell book she had brought with her.

Picking up the open book she set it on her lap, her head bowing so that she could read the small printed words that would engage the magical elements she had created and complete the spell. "Harken all ye elements, I summon thee now." She began to chant, reaching over she grabbed a small pinch of the herbs she had set up and dropped it into the bowl in front of her. "Control the outside, control within. Land and sea, fire and wind. Out of my passions, a web be spun. From this eve forth, my will be done. So mote it be." She chanted, her voice growing deeper with the magicks she was calling upon. Picking up the goblet that she had filled with regular tap water along with a sprinkle of all the herbs that she had displayed out on the trays. Pouring the contents of the goblet into the pentacle.

As soon as the last drop of herb infused water filled the pentacle the lights flickered as the magicks interfered with the flow of electricity in the bathroom and the flames of the candles rose high, burning brightly, and the incense smoked harder as it burnt down to nothing, leaving nothing but a burnt stick. Willow took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she looked about the bathroom as it settled back down to normal as the wave of magick calmed. She done it! Now all she had to do was will away her pain and everything would be back to being peachy. Willow smiled tentively and opened her mouth to speak the words that would put an end to all her suffering. _'So much for having to wait for time.'_ She thought proudly.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow sat on her bed alone in the dorm room, she held a mirror in front of her so that she could see her tired looking reflection. "It is my will that my heart be healed." She said for what felt like the thousandth time since having performed the spell in the early of hours of predawn morning. "Now." She added hopefully, only to sigh as once again her feelings remained the same, the pain still constricting her heart, and putting a painful lump in her throat that at times made it hard to breathe. Setting aside the mirror, she picked up the spell book that she had resting on the bed beside her. Opening it to a random page full of writing she looked down at it, a frown of concentration darkening her brow. "I will that this book speak it's words to me." She commanded, only to once again fail at having her will be done.

Sighing once again she placed the book back down and picked up a Q-Tip that she had deliberately bent to practice on. "I will that this Q-Tip gets…" She hesitated a moment as she floundered for a word, and finally settled on. "Unbendy…?" Once again nothing happened as she continued to stare at the Q-Tip that defiantly remained bent. A knock on the door distracted her from the bent Q-Tip and she set it back down on the bed. "Come in." She called wondering who could be at the door, as Buffy had gone down a little earlier to grab herself a coffee before heading off to her first class. The door opened to reveal a worried looking Giles as he stepped into the room. "Giles," Willow greeted surprised at seeing him. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I'm… a bit concerned," Giles said receiving a questioning look from the red head. "About you, actually." He admitted.

Willow looked a little abashed as she turned her gaze embarrassedly down to her lap. "Did Buffy tell you about the beer, 'cause…"

"Uh," Giles began confused, wondering where 'beer' came from, a sudden horrible vision of Buffy once again returning to the mentality and hygiene of a cave woman filling his mind for a brief moment, before he shook it off. "Buffy didn't tell me anything…"

"Oh, well…" Willow sighed relieved. "Forget about the beer part, then." She said, hopeful that Giles would let it drop.

"Happily." Giles said relieved, not wanting to have to start hearing about the young adults he'd grown so close to over the years alcohol exploits. "I came because we had an appointment the other day…" He began, wanting to get to the heart of the reason why he had decided to pay a visit to the bustling university.

"Oh," Willow exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock at having forgotten. "Right, right… the truth spell."

"Yes, um…" Giles stumbled uncertainly. "Willow… I know that you're going through a very difficult time… but, shirking your responsibilities…"

"But… I didn't…" Willow jumped into explain. "Shirk." She hurriedly got up off the bed and picked up the bag the magick supplies for the truth spell she had picked up yesterday. "I… did the research, and picked up the motherwort, I just forgot the doing the spell part." Willow said a little sheepishly as she stepped towards Giles as she held out the bag to him.

Giles took the bag from her as he shifted his glasses, pushing them back up his nose, feeling really rather uncomfortable with this conversation that was all about emotion, not something he had been brought up to discuss comfortably. "Well, that isn't like you at all." He murmured concernedly.

Willow nodded self pityingly. "I know." She said miserably. "I-I've been off. I-I even tried to do a spell last night. To have my will done." She explained. "I was hoping that it would make me feel better. But it just went ka-blooey." She admitted with a sigh.

"A spell?" Giles questioned surprised that Willow would have attempted something like a spell at such a dangerous time for her. "I don't think it's wise for you to be doing that alone right now." He said with concern, not wanting the young novice Wiccan to get hurt from a backfired spell, magicks were a dangerous tricky powerful force that took a lot of skill and effort to control and contain for any amount of time. Something that he had thought she had known… "Your energy's too unfocused." He explained

Willow looked at Giles hurt. "Well, that's not true. I said I was off, not incompetent." She said stung, it was bad enough that she had lost Oz, she couldn't lose her magic too!

"I only meant that you're grieving, and it might be wise if you took a break from doing spells without supervision." He attempted to explain, trying to make her see that he was just trying to protect her.

Willow frowned, angry tears stinging the backs of her eyes. "So I get punished 'cause I'm in pain?" Not completely hearing or understanding what Giles was saying in her distraught state of mind.

Giles blinked at her, not having expected such a reaction from her. "It's not a punishment. I'm only saying this because I…"

"Oh, you care." Willow cut him off, her voice full of pain and desolation, not interested in what he had to say anymore. Everyone was against her, none of them cared! "Yeah, everybody cares." She muttered sarcastically. "Nobody wants to be inconvenienced. You all want me to take the time and go through the pain, as long as you don't have to hear about it anymore." She vented.

"No," Giles denied. "That's not fair."

"Isn't it?" Willow challenged. "'Cause I'm doing the best I can and it doesn't seem to be enough for you guys."

Giles nodded his understanding, knowing just how he felt after Jenny had been so cruelly taken from him. "And I see how you could feel that way, I do…"

"No, you don't!" Willow cried, not wanting to be understood in that moment. "You say that you do, but don't see anything." Her tears threatening to spill down over her cheeks as she turned away from him just as her eyes took on a strange blue gleam as the last word left her lips.

Giles felt almost dizzy all of a sudden as his vision blurred behind his glasses, disconcerted he took them off. "Um… Oh, sorry…" He stuttered as he cleaned the lenses, before holding the glasses up in front of his eyes trying to see if that had made a difference only to find that it hadn't. "P-Perhaps I'd better be going. Let's um, let's talk about this later." He muttered, making his excuses, wanting to get out of the room, hoping that some fresh air would make him feel better.

Willow watched him go with a frown, her arms folded moodily across her chest, before she slumped back down on her bed, her face bury itself in her hands as she felt the tears start falling helplessly down her cheeks, her shoulders beginning to shake. _'Why? Why wouldn't the spell work?'_ She thought despondently.

Giles closed the door behind him and began walking down the hall as he blinked rapidly trying to clear away the blur that was clouding his vision worse than normal, only to run into the shoulder of a student. Turning with the blow he gazed as best he could after the student who was looking back at him. "Oh! I'm sorry… so sorry." He apologised as the student shrugged and continued on his way. Giles paused in his steps for a moment as he carefully attempted to slide his glasses back on, only to almost accidentally poke out one of his eyes with one of the arms of the glasses, before he finally managed to place them safely over his eyes. The vision corrective lenses helping his vision, but not as well as they normally did. Shrugging it off Giles continued on his way figuring that his glasses just needed a proper cleaning when he got back to his condo.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Spike sat on the floor of Giles living room, the chains still holding him hostage preventing him from escaping through the door that was so close compared to when he was in that blasted uncomfortable bathtub. He fought not to sneeze as smoke and ash floated about him as Giles walked around him in a tight circle a book open and balanced in the palm of his hand, his gaze squinted as he peered down at it, fighting to read the printed words. "Elobe, enemy, be now, quiet." He read haltingly as he raised the bundle of burning herbs up and down in time to his steps.

Spike looked up at him curiously, never having seen The ex-Watcher struggle so much with reading from one of his musty old books. "You know… not too keen about this spell stuff. Tends to be a bit unpredictable."

"Yes, well, you might have thought about that sooner." Giles muttered, growing frustrated with attempts at reading the words, something that was becoming increasingly more difficult, despite the fact that he had thoroughly cleaned his glasses before even attempting to start the spell. "Um…" He hesitated as he tried to make out the words on the page, even going so far as to lean in closer to the book. "Let your deceitful tongue be… be… uh… let no… untruths… be spoken…" He read with a lot of difficulty.

Frustrated Giles sets the book down, accidentally knocking the thin chain that held the key to Spike's chains off the desk and onto the floor, as he pulled out a handkerchief and pulled off his glasses and began cleaning them with vigour. Spike who'd been watching Giles with an intensity having sensed that something was not quite right with him saw the key fall and land by Giles' feet. Glancing up at Giles once again he saw that he still had his back to him, Spike reached out with a booted foot towards the chain. "Hey, what's that all about?" He asked in an attempt to keep The ex-Watcher unwary.

"Hm? Oh, nothing." Giles denied, his heart beating awkwardly in his chest, his vision seeming to be getting worse with each passing moment. "I just got ash in my eye." He explained, hoping that that was all it was.

"Well," Spike said as his foot hooked inside the chain and he slowly and carefully began bringing his leg back towards him. "I won't have you doin' mojo on me if you can't read properly. You might tuen me into a stink beetle or what all." He muttered as he grabbed the chain from his boot and stuck it in the lock.

"T'would be a generous ending for you, Spike." Giles muttered, in no mood to be dealing with any lip from the peroxide blond.

Spike shoved the now unlocked chains from around him and quickly jumped up from the floor relishing in his freedom. With a shove, he pushed Giles out of his way and ran out the door, leaving it wide open as he high tailed it out into the night, trying to remember exactly where he had come out after escaping from the Initiative, after all if they could do this to him, they could damn well undo it!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow knelt beside her bed playing with Amy the rat who was on her bed, as Buffy knelt on the floor the rat cage in front of her as she reached in to pulled out the wheel, in preparation for cleaning out the cage. "I mean I'm going through something." Willow continued, as she settled Amy snugly on a pile of towels to discourage her from running off and getting lost in the dorm room or worse the entire dormitory. She'd never be found if she made it out of the room. "I just don't see why he was getting down on me." She muttered as she stood up and walked back over to Buffy as she pulled out the plastic cylinder that acted as Amy's little house for when she wanted to hide.

"Giles just worries." Buffy murmured reassuringly. "Spells can be dangerous. It doesn't mean he thinks you're a bad witch." She soothed.

Willow sat down beside her, a mopey look on her face. "I am a bad witch."

"No, you're a good witch." Buffy comforted, as Willow reached into cage as she began wrapping up the filthy contents with the newspaper layer they used to cover the bottom of the cage for easy clean up.

Willow shook her head sadly as she pulled out the now wrapped up bundle and set aside to put in the bin later. "I'm not kidding anyone. If I had any real power, I could have made Oz stay with me."

Buffy gave Willow a sad look. "Will, you wouldn't have wanted him to have stayed…"

Willow cut her off, knowing that she was right, and not needing to hear her say it. "And I didn't have the guts to do the spell on Veruca, and my 'I Will It So' spell went nowhere. The only real witch here is fuzzy little Amy." She muttered as she folded up a fresh sheet of newspaper to blanket the bottom of the cage.

"I think you're being too hard on yourself." Buffy told her firmly as Willow stuffed the newspaper into the cage.

"She's got access to powers I can't even invoke." Willow continued ignoring Buffy. "I mean, first… she's a perfectly normal girl…" The rat on the bed morphed into the human Amy, an excited expression on her face as she looked around the dorm room with human eyes, her nose still twitching like that of the rat, a transformation that goes unnoticed by both the girls as Willow continued to talk. "Then poof… she's a rat." Amy turned back into a rat a squeak of confusion emitting from her, something else that the girls ignored as they continued cleaning and restocking Amy's cage. "I could never do something like that." She bemoaned.

The ringing of the phone interrupted their conversation and Buffy got to her feet and walked over to the phone. "Hello?" She spoke into the mouth piece as she placed it the phone against her ear. "Uhh…" She muttered lowly as she listened to Giles strained voice on the other end of the line. "I'll be right there." She assured him, before hanging up, and turning back to Willow who was looking at her expectantly. "Spike escaped." She explained.

"A-and you're going? Now?" Willow asked hurt as she watched Buffy walk towards her closet.

"Sorry," Buffy apologised as she picked out a jacket and swiftly donned it as she stepped back out of the closet.

"Well, I mean, what's the rush? Spike can't hurt anyone, right? And I figured since I'm kinda grieve-y, we could, uh… you know, have a girl's night." She wheedled. "We could eat sundaes and watch Steel Magnolias and you can tell me how, at least I don't have diabetes." She said hopefully.

"Will, I can't hang out with you until I get, Spike back to Giles, you know that." She murmured as she stuffed a stake into the back of her jeans, before looking back at Willow, feeling terrible at having to leave her when she wanted to have a girls night and perk up a little. "Ok, I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise." She assured Willow, before marching out the door. Determined to get Spike back to Giles and get back and eat sundaes and watch Steel Magnolias with Willow.

Willow watched the door close behind Buffy and huffed her arms crossing over her chest as she glared at the door, before looking down at the half cleaned cage. "I don't see the big. He's probably just standing out there. You could find him in like two seconds…" Willow's brown eyes turned that glowing shade of blue as she spoke the words. Willow sighed feeling really rather put out at being left alone when she was obviously in pain and wanted some company!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Spike stood on the university campus, looking around confused, feeling almost certain that he had been somewhere else just a moment before. Buffy who was marching across the grounds having just left her dormitory building paused in mid stride at seeing him just standing on the campus grounds. "Thought that was going to take longer." She muttered surprised.

"Me too." Spike grumbled as he continued to turn his gaze about the grass. "Musta got… turned around…" He trailed off as something familiar caught his eyes and he marched towards it Buffy following close on his heels, not wanting to have to suddenly sprint after him if he made a sudden run for it. "Hang… Hang on, this… this is it." He crowed. "Wait… no…" He muttered as he walked back and forth in a small circuit trying his best to remember every little detail of when he had clawed his way out of the ground through the bloody small air vent. "Yes." He finally decided.

Buffy folded her arms under her chest already feel exasperated with him. "What are you talking about?"

"The lab. Commando lab." Spike muttered confused. "The door was right here, where I escaped." He grumbled as he gestured towards the ground in front of his feet, which was covered in green grass.

Buffy looked down at the spot and seeing only undisturbed healthy grass rolled her eyes disbelievingly. "I don't think so."

Spike dropped to his hands and knees feeling almost desperate as he began tearing at the grass with his hands, pulling it out by the fistful hoping to reveal the door that he knew had been there. "Open up! I'm gonna kill you!"

"Spike, there's nothing there." Buffy grumbled getting annoyed with his antics.

"Let me in!" Spike growled at the ground as he punched it in desperation. "Fix me." He muttered dejectedly, his tone almost enough to make Buffy feel sorry for him… almost.

"Ok, drop the act." Buffy demanded as she grabbed at his arm. She had far more important things to do tonight then babysitting an annoying peroxide blond vampire that didn't know when to quit.

Spike pushed her away agitatedly. "Get off!" He demanded as he jumped to his feet.

"Ok, that's it… I'm gonna gag you." Buffy threatened, just before Spike punched her in the nose, regretting it immediately as his hands went to his head as he yelped in pain as it exploded inside his head. As soon as he lowered his hands, Buffy punched him in retaliation, causing Spike to yelp in pain once again. Buffy grasped his arm and threw him to the ground and jumped on his back. Quickly grasping his arms as she knelt on his back pinning him to the ground ignoring Spike curses and growls as she pulled out the rope she had snagged on her way out of the dormitory, not having thought of it on her way out of her room.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles stood in his bathroom his head angled back awkwardly as he used one had to help keep his eye open as the other held up a blurry blob that he had with much difficulty identified as his eye drops, hoping that his worsening vision was just something in his eyes. His front door burst open and Spike stumbled in as Buffy shoved his tied up form inside the door. "Hey! Watch it!" Spike growled annoyed at having been so easily subdued into being forced back here.

Buffy felt a muscle twitch in her forehead with her rising annoyance. "One more word out of you, and I swear…" She threatened.

Spike glared at her. "Swear, what? You're not gonna do anything to me. You don't got the stones." He said confidently. He and his Sire might not get along most of the time, but family meant something to him. Angelus wouldn't just let his little mate to be just stake him… and besides that she'd had years to stake him and hadn't done it.

Buffy stepped towards him attempting to intimidate him, despite her diminutive size, which was less than threatening. "Oh, I got the stones. I got a whole bunch of… stones." She assured him.

Spike snorted. "Yeah? You're all talk." He taunted, remember also that they needed him for the info he possessed on The Initiative.

"GILES!" Buffy shouted. "I accidentally killed Spike. That's ok, right?" She asked loudly as she pulled out the stake she had hidden on herself earlier and waved it at Spike threateningly. Spike puffed out his chest in challenge unwilling to back down in front of the frustrating annoying blond.

Giles who was still in the bathroom fought for composure as he struggled to see through his darkening vision, as he tried to find his glasses. The drops that he had painstakingly put into his eyes not doing anything to help clear his vision. "Uh…uh…uh…" He floundered distractedly. "Just a minute." He pleaded, before he rubbed his eyes, at a loss for what he could do for them now.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander watched Willow pace back and forth across the limited space of his basement/bedroom, as he sat calmly on his couch, listening as Willow ranted. "I mean, I'm going through something. You'd think every once in a while, Buffy would make best friends a priority." She complained.

"You know, Will." Xander said soothingly. "It's not like she could just let Spike go."

Willow crossed her arms over her chest a dark frown pulling down her brow. "But, she could let Angelus go. Even date him!"

Xander remained silent for a moment as he struggled with his own feelings on the subject, before he cleared his throat. After all he was supposed to be trying to be supportive, on Willow's advice. "That was kinda a low blow, Will." He murmured softly, as he continued to watch his long-time friend pace.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy slammed Spike down into a chair in Giles living room, making Spike glare at her once again, a sneer curling up his lips. "I get this spell reversed, they'll be finding your body for weeks." He threatened angrily.

Buffy leaned forward, her hands resting on the arms of the chair as she got up into his grill. "Oh, make a move… please. I'm dying for a good slay." She encouraged tauntingly.

Spike snarled, baring his teeth. "Angelus needs to keep you on a shorter leash. Next time I see him I'll be sure to lend him my cat of nine tails." He promised darkly. Buffy glared at Spike and Spike glared right back, the tension building in the room. Buffy's hand itched to go for her stake to slam it into his chest and pierce his heart!

But… she wouldn't… but that didn't mean that she couldn't beat him down… no one would mind if she beat him down.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"Spike's more important than me. I get it." Willow grumbled as she continued to pace. Getting more and more frustrated with the conversation! Why was it that none of her supposed friends agreed with her! It was like they were all ganging up against her. Like they just wanted her to shut up and move on with her life, like her pain didn't matter.

"Buffy's gotta find out what's up with those commandos. Right now she needs Spike." Xander explained, feeling really rather odd that he was on this side of the conversation, normally it was the other way around.

Willow crossed her arms over her chest again as she turned her back to Xander and looked towards one of the very small windows the basement had. "Well, fine. Why doesn't she just go marry him?!" She grumbled angrily her eyes flashing a glowy blue once again.

"Uh, I think a tall, dark, evil vampire sadly of our acquaintance would have a fairly big problem with that… not that I'd mind see Angelus tear Spike to shreds…" Xander trailed off at the none to forgiving glare Willow directed at him.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles stepped out of his bathroom and carefully made his way into the living room where he had heard the obvious signs of Buffy and Spike at their usual banter. "If the two of you could remain civil long enough to…" Giles trailed off in astonishment at what his increasingly bad eye sight saw in front of him. The vision of seeing Buffy sitting in the chair with Spike unbound and kneeling in front of buffy holding her hand in a tender way all most too much for him to process.

"It's just so sudden. I don't know what to say." Buffy said breathlessly, a thing that was usually reserved for Angelus.

"Just say yes, and make me the happiest man on earth." Spike said a pleading note to his voice, that had Buffy smiling at the sweetness of it all.

"Oh, Spike! Of course it's yes!" Buffy exclaimed excitedly, before launching herself at him, her lips meeting his as his arms came around her holding her against him. Her lips parting for his tongue a moan slipping from her throat. Giles clumsily stepped forward as he took off his glasses not sure what to make of it and certainly not wanting to see any more than he already had, and accidentally bumped into a side table, drawing the newly engaged couples attention. "Giles," Buffy exclaimed as she continued to hug Spike against her. "You'll never believe what's happened!" She cried excitedly as she held up her newly ringed left hand to show off the skull ring that Spike had slid over her finger.

Giles stared at her silently, his vision barely making out the ring adorned finger that she was waving at him. He suddenly felt the need for a shot of good stiff scotch, after all if the world was going bat-shit crazy or if in fact he was going crazy which was a good possibility at this point, a scotch was the way to see it in.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"It's just not fair." Willow bemoaned, feeling very hard done by.

"Willow," Xander tried feeling a little timid about saying anything, after all everything else seemed to have backfired so far. "I know it's hard to see it right now, but everything you're feeling is because of you and Oz. Not because of Buffy and me or anybody. But eventually you'll meet somebody else, and it'll be better." He said in an attempt to reassure that eventually everything would all be ok.

Willow looked at him with disbelief, she didn't even want to think about another relationship right now… and how could things possibly get better? When they were as bad as they were now? "Yeah, 'cause most relationships are great and trouble-free. I don't think so. I think we're all doomed to badness."

"We're not doomed." Xander tried to assure her.

"Oh, yeah?" She challenged, a somewhat wild and mean look in her eyes as she pinned him with her stare. "Let's-let's look at your bio. Insect lady, Mummy girl, Anya… You're a demon magnet." She declared angrily, her eyes doing the strange blue glow as she stormed out of the basement, having had enough of her so called friends for one night.

Xander watched her go, but made no attempt at going after her. "I was just trying to help." He muttered with a sigh.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles sat in a chair his phone held to his ear as he listened to Willow's and Buffy's answer machine spiel. "Willow, it's-it's me. Something happened. I need your help. I can't see very well. Everything's blurred." He explained uncomfortably as he reached over and grabbed the blurry haze that was his glass of scotch, that Spike of all people had poured for him… had even insisted on doing. "I'm certain it's a spell of some kind, because… well… it seems something else is going wrong…" He murmured into the phone, not wanting to speak to loud about it with Buffy and Spike in the room.

Behind him Buffy walked back in from the kitchen a steaming mug in her hand. "Here you go… 98.6." Buffy said as she sat in Spike's lap and he took the mug from her.

Giles shuddered as he heard the interaction, and couldn't help but glance over at the two and shuddered harder at seeing their meeting of lips. "Horribly wrong." He emphasised, before hanging up, hoping that Willow would get his message and call back soon.

"There's so much to decide." Buffy said excitedly, her arms wrapped around Spike's neck. "Ceremony, guests, reception…" She listed.

"Well, first thing I'd say, we're not having a church wedding. Spike said firmly.

"How 'bout a daytime ceremony. In the park." Buffy suggested happily.

Spike gave her a look. "Fabulous. Enjoy your honeymoon with the big pile of dust." He said sarcastically.

"Under the trees. Indirect sunlight, only." Buffy assured him with a wide smile, as Giles carefully made his back into the main part of the living room, his glass of scotch firmly in hand as he took a seat on the double seater couch opposite them.

"Warm breeze tosses the leaves aside," Spike said, continuing their conversation as Giles got himself settled on the couch. "And again… you're registering as Mr and Mrs Big-Pile-of-Dust."

Buffy frowned at him disappointed in his attitude. "Stop it! This is our wedding and you're treating it like a big joke!" Her lower lip jutting out in a pout as she crossed her arms under her chest.

Spike smirked at her as he took in her tempting pouty lower lip. "Oh, pouty! Look at that lip… gonna get it… gonna get it…" He teased as he leaned in towards her, his lips parting to capture her lower lip between his. Buffy laughed as they kissed making up as quickly as they had fought.

"Oh… stop…" Buffy said playfully as they pulled apart and Spike moved into kiss her again.

"Yes, please stop." Giles begged, before taking a large gulp of his scotch.

Buffy smiled at Giles and held her left hand out to her father figure. "Giles, did you see my ring?" She asked as she flaunted her hand at him.

"Thankfully, not very well." Giles muttered as he pulled off his glasses, before leaning his head back against the couch and rubbing his eyes tiredly. Today was turning out to be one hell of a bloody awful day.

Buffy looked at Giles for a moment, before getting up off Spike's lap. Walking the short distance she sat herself down beside him, a nervous vulnerable look in her hazel eyes. "I'm not crazy, and I know that you probably don't approve, and my father's not that far away, I mean, he could… but this day is about family… my real family…" Buffy put her hand over his. "And I would like you to be the one to give me away." She asked hopefully.

Giles looked at the blur that was Buffy, completely touched by her offer, not having expected it at all and for a moment he forgot the crazy circumstances. "Oh, Buffy! That's… that's so…" Giles trailed off as he came to his senses and gave his head a small shake. "Oh! For God's sake! This is nonsense. Something is making you act this way. Don't you realize what you're doing?" He asked somewhat flabbergasted that neither of them saw anything wrong with what was happening between them.

Buffy smiled over at Spike. "Living the dream." She said dreamily.

Spike returned her smile. "It's gonna have to take a bit of time for him to get used to it, pet."

"They all will." Buffy said her face losing some of it joy as she imagined her friends and mother's reaction to the news.

Giles rubbed a hand down his face tiredly. "What about, Angelus?! I thought you loved him." He said, hoping that a reminder of the vampire that she did actually love would make her see sense.

Buffy's face fell as for the first time since the out of the blue proposal she thought about Angelus. "Oh no," She whimpered sadly her hands coming up to cover her mouth as her lower lip cowered sadly. "Poor, Angelus he's going to be so heartbroken over this."

Spike snorted. "Yeah, that poncy bastard, will just be so torn up." He sniggered.

Buffy glared at him. "He will be! He's finally learned to open up his heart and love… and now… now I'm marrying someone else…" Tears welled in her eyes and began to slowly roll down her cheeks, her heart hurting terribly for her first love.

Spike scowled getting angry with all the Angelus talk. "You're not going to shed tears for that bloody poncy bastard are you?" Spike grumbled. "I won't have you caring about him anymore. He is no longer part of the picture!"

Buffy gave Spike a shocked and hurt look. "Of course I'm going to care about him! He was my first! And, he's done a hell of a lot for me then you ever have! It's all just so horribly sad." She said distraughtly.

"Yeah, this is the same guy that tried to send the world to hell, just to get away from your fickle ass." Spike snorted cruelly.

Buffy's watery hazel eyes widened and a fresh wave of hot tears pooled in them before spilling down her cheeks. "Spike," She whimpered. "Why… why are you being so mean to me?" She asked, before she sent a heated glare at him. "Spike, you stupid jerk!" Buffy cried, before getting up and running, her steps quickly taking her up the stairs, a moment later the door of the bathroom slamming shut reached their ears.

Giles sighed as he hoped that that had put an end to the craziness that had erupted inside his house. His deteriorating sight he would be so much easier to deal with if the craziness of Buffy and Spike kissing and cuddling and getting married! And for a brief shining moment it seemed to have worked as Spike sat in the sofa chair staring into space as he frowned, but then the moment was broken as the peroxide blond jumped up off the sofa and went up the stairs after Buffy, taking them two at a time. "Oh, bollox." Giles groaned.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Spike stood in Giles room, leaning against the closed door of the bathroom. "Buffy, pet, I'm sorry." He cooed through the door, his fingers stroking against the painted wood. "You know how I get jealous, especially when it comes to that pri… demon…" He corrected himself. "Baby please. I was an idiot."

"Oh, and you think that I don't like with the shadow of Drusilla over my head? That I'm not wondering if you're going to be thinking of her on our honeymoon when you're making… sweet love to me?" Buffy said through the door, her voice indicating that she was still crying.

"Oh, come now pet, you know that it would be all about you." He assured her. "Buffy, I'm sorry, ok. I'm sorry that I made you cry on such a special day. I mean it's not every day you get engaged… pet?"

Buffy sniffed as she opened the door. "I'm sorry too, Spike." She apologised, before walking into his arms.

Spike hugged her against him. "There, there pet. It's alright. Hey, how about we bout we get back down stairs. We've left poor Giles by himself and we still haven't gotten an answer from him about standing in for your father." Buffy nodded. Spike crooked a finger under her chin and tilted her head up. Bringing his lips down on hers in a tender kiss that quickly turned heated, their tongues duelling for dominance as Spike scooped her easily up in his arms and began walking her back the way they had come.

Giles groaned as he heard the sound of Buffy and Spike's voice coming closure, their tones murmured and most definitely civil. Leaning forward, he reached for the almost empty glass of scotch feeling the need for a little more fortification, missing the glass, he moved to pull it back only to manage knocking the glass over, the glass and its contents rolled off the table and landed with a dull thunk as the golden brown liquor stained the carpet as well, just as Buffy still in Spike's arms came abreast of the couches.

Buffy wiggled and Spike let her get down. "Giles are you ok?" She asked concernedly as she bent down and picked up the now empty scotch glass, only to look back and glare at Spike when he tapped her ass none to gently. Spike only shrugged, his expression clearly stating that he believed that she had asked for it by waving her ass at him so temptingly.

Giles blue eyes scanned from left to right, a strained look pulling at his features as he tried to make something out of the darkness that had blackened his vision. "I rather think not." He said slowly as he tried to keep his voice calm, as panicking wouldn't help him. "I seem to be… rather… blind. Completely in fact." He admitted reluctantly as he leaned his arms against his knees, feeling nausea churning in his belly at the feeling of having his world turn completely black.

Buffy set the glass down on the coffee table, sitting herself back down on the couch beside Giles a concerned look on her face as she met Giles unseeing eyes with her own. "What? How could this happen?" She asked as she waved a hand in front of his face, her hazel eyes searching for any sign of reaction from him that would indicate that he could comprehend the movement, only for his face to remain blank.

Spike glanced around the living room before walking towards the closest bookshelf and looked over the book titles, searching for one that might be helpful. "A spell, I believe." Giles told Buffy, his hand shifting slightly, wanting to find one of Buffy's his ears picking up that she was close to him, but it only moved a millimetre before he stopped himself from reaching out to her.

"Well, we'll fix it." She assured him as she placed her hand over the one that had shifted slightly along the fabric of the couch, the movement not having escaped her notice. "Don't worry."

"What you want is a general reversal spell." Spike said as he looked up from the book he had been looking through, snapping it shut and dropping it on top of the small bookcase. "Gonna need supplies."

Giles turned his head in the general direction Spike's voice had come from, completely flabbergasted by what he had just heard. "Are you… helping me?" He asked cautiously.

Spike gave him a crooked smile. "Well, it's almost like you're my father-in-law, in'nt." Giles groaned at that and leaned back against the couch with an undignified flop as he pulled in a deep fortifying breath, before letting it out slowly desperately trying to keep calm. His mental state at this particular moment not appreciating the reminder.

Buffy smiled over at Spike ecstatically. "See? This is how it's going to be. Spike'll even take care of you while I'm at the magick shop." She assured Giles, who had to bite back another groan as his head began to pound once again with the headache he had had the day before, the pounding several times worse. Buffy stood from the couch and walked quickly over to Spike, her arms curling around him as she pressed herself against his chest, Spike's arms immediately sliding around her in return. "From now on, we're a family." She said with a big grin, that was directed at Giles. Spike had his own smile curling up his lips as he looked at the ex-Watcher who was so important to his girl. Smiles that if he knew where on their faces pointed in his direction, would have made him suddenly very glad that he had gone completely blind. A moment later he heard the unmistakable sounds of their lips meeting in a heated kiss and he jumped, feeling bile rising in his throat. His skittish movement almost knocking him over as his knees banged against his coffee table. Catching himself by throwing out a hand and grasping the back of his couch. "That's alright." He told himself. "I have more scotch." He assured himself, even as he pondered how exactly he was going to get more scotch…

Buffy reluctantly pulled away from Spike, giving him one last kiss before she pulled away completely. "I'll be back soon, Giles. If you need anything just ask, Spike ok. He's here to help." Buffy said beaming before walking swiftly out the door, wanting to get to the magick shop to help Giles as soon as possible.

Spike clapped his hands together as he turned his gaze to his soon to be father-in-law. "So, a glass of scotch, wasn't it, dad?" He enquired, already making his way into the kitchen.

Giles fell back into his seat, his knees giving out on him at the word 'dad' leaving Spike's lips in regards to him.

It didn't take long for Spike to come back with a fresh glass of scotch in hand. "Here you go." He said lowly as he gripped Giles hand and placed the glass in it firmly.

Giles took a swift large gulp, the burning liquid feeling reassuring as it slid down his throat. He turned his head in the direction he believed Spike to be standing, his eye line not quite reaching the peroxide blond. "Don't call me that again." He said firmly, before taking another gulp, his eyes falling closed as he gave a silent, quick prayer that everything would return to normal very soon.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy walked back down the street, having exited the magick shop a few moments ago and had started heading back towards Giles condo. She paused in her trek back to the condo when her gaze caught sight of a beautiful wedding gown behind the glass of a shop window. Walking towards it in an almost mesmerized trance, she came to a stop in front of the dress, her cheeks flushing slightly as she did her best to imagine what it would look like on her, and what Spike's reaction would be at seeing it on her. On the street behind her, Riley walked down the street, catching sight of her he smiled glad to see her without her boyfriend in tow. Despite that, he hesitated a moment before deciding that he would head over there. Taking a deep fortifying breath to give himself the courage he needed to begin a conversation with her. "Hey, Buffy." He called drawing Buffy's attention from the display window. "What's up?" He asked as Buffy turned back to look at the wedding gown that had captured her imagination.

"Riley, look… aren't they beautiful?" Buffy asked breathily, her arms hugging around the brown paper bag the shop keeper at the Magick Shop at placed most of the ingredients she needed to reverse the spell that was making Giles sight do the wacky.

Riley looked at the display window for the first time and immediately he felt uncomfortable in the face of the wedding dresses that were obviously what Buffy was talking about. "Um, yeah… they're nice." He said carefully. "A little dressy, maybe… for school, but…" He said awkwardly, trying to feel out where Buffy's interest in the elaborate dresses was coming from.

Buffy tore her gaze away from the dress in the middle to settle her gaze on Riley and she gave him a happy smile. "Riley…" Buffy began as she took a couple of steps closer to him.

"Buffy?" Riley questioned wondering what was going on, a bad feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. After all there wasn't that many reason as to why a woman would be staring dreamily at a wedding dress.

"I hope you know that I consider you a good friend, and that as soon as a date is settled I'll definitely invite you to the wedding." Buffy offered excitedly, wanting as many of her friends as possible to witness her happy day.

Riley's eyes widened in shock and surprise, his hopes of winning her over shrivelling into a hollow pit of despair. "What? Huh? Uh, wedding? Oh, uh… I guess that means Angelus proposed, huh." He said weakly.

Buffy shook her head, her shoulders slumping at the mention of Angelus… she still had no idea how to tell him… "Uh, no… Spike asked me to marry him and… I just couldn't say no… I mean it was so out of the blue that it was shocking… but all so romantic…" Buffy sighed dreamily, perking up again as she thought of the moment Spike had suddenly popped the question. "I think you'll really like him." Buffy assured him, before a slight frown darkened her features. "Well, nobody really likes him… I don't even really like him…"

"Then, why did you agree to marry him, Buffy?" Riley asked extremely confused.

"Because I love him. I really do." Buffy stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Riley looked down at her his confusion growing. _'But didn't she just say that she didn't even like him?'_ He thought as he felt the beginnings of a headache started beating at his temples. "Who?" Riley asked wanting to hear the name of the guy Buffy was going to marry.

Buffy looked up at him confused, having gotten lost in her thoughts and memories of her peroxide blond betrothed. "What?" She asked.

"What's his name?" Riley demanded, fighting the urge to grab and shake her in his growing frustration.

"Who?" Buffy enquired, wondering what all the fuss was about. She hadn't expected this kind of reaction from him, after all he didn't know all the details like her closest friends… she'd actually thought he would be the easiest person to tell…

"The groom." Riley said, fighting to keep his voice calm as his frustration grew to greater heights.

"Spike!" Buffy stated with a small frown, not liking the way Riley was speaking to her, as if she had somehow betrayed him, the only person she had done that to in doing this was Angelus.

Riley stared down at her in disbelief, having been sure that he had misheard the name before. "That's a name?" He questioned derisively, unable to help his hurt feelings at the crushing of his hopes.

"Yeah, trust me, it's least strange of his names." Buffy assured him.

Riley felt his confusion growing. "One of his names?" He asked.

"Uh, yeah… you really don't wanna know, trust me on that one." Buffy cautioned him, after all she didn't even like his chosen name, let alone his other one… both where just really creepy.

"Er… Ok… uh, wow…" Riley stuttered, before attempting to pull himself together, forcing himself to remember that despite his efforts Buffy had no real idea that he was interested in her. "So, who is this guy? Does he go here?"

"Spike?" Buffy asked surprised by the question, before laughing, accidentally offending Riley as well as confusing him further, not understanding how that question could be considered funny.

"Oh, no… he's totally old." She informed Riley, shocking him.

"Old." He repeated… a disturbing image filling his minds-eye.

Buffy shrugged unfazed, not noticing Riley's confusion. "Well, not as old as Angelus." She stated.

Riley shook his head completely baffled. As far as he could tell Angelus wasn't all that old, older than her sure, but not considered old by a long shot… "Ok… it's late… and I'm…I'm very tired now." He excused himself, just wanting to get away from the overly confusing girl for a while. "So, I'm just gonna go far away and be… away." He muttered.

"But…" Buffy started hurt at his reaction.

Riley shook his head, and held up his hands. "No, stay." He pleaded with her, before quickly walking off, not wanting to encourage her to come after him, when just a few moments ago he would have wanted nothing more…

Buffy looked after him for a moment a slightly forlorn look on her face as his form turned out of sight. "You're ruining my happy day." She muttered unhappily, before shaking her head and continuing on her way to Giles condo.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"That's ok, mom…" Xander called up the stairs that he stood at the bottom of them, watching and wait for the door to close. "We don't need any more snacks." He assured her, and finally he saw the shadow of the door closing behind his mother. He turned from the stairs a smile lighting up his face as his gaze landed on Anya who was sitting propped up against the back of the couch which doubled as his headboard when the fold out bed was pulled out as it was now.

"I liked those fruit roll-ups." Anya stated with a small pout.

"Shush," Xander hushed her as he strolled over to his bed. "I thought she'd never clear out." He muttered as he climbed up on to the bed and began crawling towards her. "Besides, just think of my lips as the fruit-roll ups of love." Xander paused just before kissing Anya, as what he said played over in his mind. "Ok, that was gross." He muttered pulling back a little more so that he was sitting on the bed. "I'm a little distracted." He admitted. "Willow was really upset. I shouldn't have let her go away mad." He lamented, wishing now that he had ignored his hurt feelings and gone after his long-time friend, instead of letting her stalk off.

Anya slightly annoyed by the interruption of their foreplay leaned towards him and grabbed his face, before pressing her lips to his in a hard passionate kiss. "Regaining focus." Xander said a little breathlessly, when Anya let him up for air.

Anya stroked a hand through his hair. "We just got rid of your mom. Let's not bring Willow into this. It's time for just the two us." She murmured huskily.

Xander leaned forward and took Anya's mouth with his own, and slowly the two of them fell back against the bed, their hands beginning to move over each other. They were only just really getting into things when there was a sudden crash as a demon forced his way in through the side door. The noise startled them and upon seeing the invading demon they swiftly jumped up all thoughts of sex fleeing both of their minds. Xander ran at the demon with a yell to encourage himself in his desire to protect Anya from the demon.

Only as soon as Xander got in reach of the demon, the demon grabbed him none to gently and threw him aside, slamming him into the washing machine. Anya glanced around swiftly after seeing Xander tossed aside like a sack of potatoes, snatching up a baseball bat she ran at it, swinging the bat at the demons head, only for her attack to be halted when the demon grabbed the bat. They struggled for a brief moment before the demon managed to pull the bat from her, the effort it took Anya to try and hold on sending her stumbling back towards the bed, almost falling down on it as the backs of her knees hit the end of the bed. Xander scrambled to his feet, ripping the clothes line he had set up from the hooks he had tied the ends around. With the line gripped tightly in both his hands, he jumped the back of the demon as he wrapped the line around the demons throat and pulled tightly immediately beginning to choke the burly demon.

Anya watched the two struggle for a moment as she caught her breath, before she shook her head at her boyfriend. "No, no," She called drawing Xander's gaze, his face flushed from his exertion. "It's a Pargo demon! Drowning is the only way to kill it!" She informed him. Xander looked around, his gaze landing on the basin that was full of water from when he had been soaking some dirty clothes in a solution and began struggling to get the demon over to the sink. The demon resisted, growling angrily as the cord still bit into his neck cutting off his air, annoying him. Anya hurried in and began helping Xander bustle the demon towards the sink. Once they reached the sink, they jumped on the demon their hands going to the back of the demons head forcing it under water. They struggled for what felt like agonisingly long moments as the demon struggled all the harder as the water blocked his air ways suffocating him in a way the cord couldn't.

Finally the demon stopped thrashing and they fell away from the demon panting heavily as they looked at each other. They don't get to rest long though as not a moment later a demon burst the window above the sink, it's thick meaty arm thrusting through grabbing at the empty air, the sounds of other demons behind it standing the fine hair all over their bodies on end. "What the hell is going on?!" Xander asked shocked, never having seen anything like this happening before when it came to demons as he glanced around at the other windows to see the shapes of other demons outside and the sound of another glass pane bursting as a leg this time thrust through into the room. Without hesitating a moment longer Xander grabbed Anya's arm and raced them up the stairs, wanting to get them somewhere safe!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus whistled a jaunty tune as he stepped out of the run down house and swiftly continued on his way, not wanting too many people, if any, to see him coming out of such a place. It really wasn't his style to visit a feeding house, but after spending so much time bending over the toilet bowl, he'd had no real desire to spend time hunting up a worthwhile meal with his mouth tasting as foul as it had been. The blood he'd feasted on in the house hadn't been the best, but it definitely was a step up from before…

Angelus swiftly made his way from the more run down part of Sunnydale where most of the houses were empty apart from those that were attempting to squat in… of course it wouldn't be for long. His girl would sweep through here on her next patrol and all those unfortunate enough to be caught in one of the houses would soon meet their true death. Angelus went to step out of any alley way and onto the main street when his dark gaze happened to fall on Riley. Instead of stepping out onto the street he stepped back a little further into the alley to remain unseen, something about the way the boy was walking catching his attention. Remaining hidden he waited for the boy to walk past the entrance of the alleyway.

Riley walked with slumped shoulders and a dejected frown darkening his brow as Buffy's words run over and over in his head as clear as day. His steps faltered as he came abreast of an alley, a hand coming up to run through his short thick hair. "Buffy is getting married to a guy named Spike?!" He said aloud, his voice still disbelieving trying to make the information sink in. Giving his head a shake, he slowly continued on his way, completely unaware of the shocked demon he had left in the alley. Angelus stood stock still his eyes wide as Riley's words rocketed around disbelievingly in his brain. It wasn't possible! Buffy and Spike hated each other… there was no way that the two of them would ever consider getting married!

He stepped out of the alley and looked after Riley, a part of him wanting to go after the boy and shake out the meaning behind the words he had spoken… but they weren't true! They couldn't be! Buffy was his and Spike knew it, there was no way that he was brave enough to even try and step on his toes in this matter… And even so, Buffy would never consent to such a thing, she didn't love the infuriating peroxide blond, she loved him… Angelus stood still on the path for a moment, before he raced off into the night, determined to find Buffy and make sure that Riley had gotten it wrong, just to put his mind at ease.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

In the living room of Giles condo, Buffy sat happily in Spike's lap, holding a wedding cake topper of a blond man and woman as she walked them slowly up Spike's leather clad arm. "Duh dum, da da… duh dum, da da, duh dum da da dum da da dum da da…" She sang to the tune of the wedding march, completely ignoring the distress she was causing Giles who was lying tiredly on the couch opposite their sofa, a wet towel covering his blind eyes.

"So the plan is to cure my total, incapacitating blindness… tomorrow." Giles said, hoping to distract Buffy from making wedding noises.

Buffy shrugged unconcerned as she turned her attention from the cake topper as her gaze shifted from it to Giles. "They were all out of Tagas Root at the Magick Shop. They'll have more tomorrow. I'm completely on top of it." She assured her father figure, before turning her gaze back to the figurine, holding it out in front of her, before looking over at Spike. "Aren't they a perfect little us?" She gushed.

Spike looked at the figurine focusing his attention on the male, that was supposed to be him, looking him over with a critical eye. "I don't like him. He's insipid. Clearly human."

Buffy was quiet for a moment, before an idea struck her and she smiled. "Oo, red paint. We could smear a little on his mouth… blood of the innocent…"

Spike returned her smile. "That's my girl…" He breathed huskily, before their lips met once again in a passionate kiss.

Giles sat up at the sound the wet towel slipping from his eyes a panicked expression on his face at the sounds that were filling his ears. "Stop that right now!" He demanded. "I can hear the smacking."

Buffy and Spike reluctantly pulled apart just as a solid knock sounded at the door drawing everyone's gaze. Immediately Buffy jumped up from Spike's lap to go answer the door, she had barely taken a single step when a familiar voice came from behind the door. "Giles! Are you in there?!" Angelus' voice sounded loudly in the apartment making Buffy pause, her eyes widening slightly as her heart rate picked up as she wondered what in the hell she was supposed to do… how was she supposed to explain things to Angelus without completely breaking his heart.

Giles sat up a little further not sure he could quiet believe just who was outside his door, or just how thrilled he was that he was there. "Angelus! That is you isn't it? Come on in." No sooner had his words left his mouth then the door opened and Angelus swiftly stepped in. "Thank God you're here." He sighed in relief, knowing that Angelus would be able to do what he couldn't… keep Buffy and Spike from jumping each other.

Angelus expression was a mask of surprise for a moment as he made his way into the living room. "That's the first time I've heard someone greet me with that." He muttered, his steps faltered as he took in the room. The way Spike sat untied, the way Buffy was standing like a deer caught in headlights, as Giles sat awkwardly his eyes staring blankly and the wedding cake topper that was clenched in Buffy's hand. His eyes went to the coffee table, his eyes widening with disbelief at the wedding invitation sample book. "I can't believe this. That idiot was right…" Angelus growled.

Spike jumped to his feet sensing the danger of Angelus being mad. "Now, hang on mate. The girl has the right to choose for herself." Spike said defiantly. Angelus growled angrily, even as his quick mind ticked over, just how strange it was… The Buffy he knew wouldn't touch Spike romantically with a hundred foot pole.

"There is just one problem with that, Spike-y. My girl wouldn't choose you in a million years." Angelus said confidently, forcing himself to remain calm, getting angry wouldn't help him get to the bottom of what strange wackiness was affecting Buffy.

Spike growled offended. "We'll just see who Buffy chooses ya poncy stuck up bastard!" He snarled as he stalked towards Angelus.

Buffy reached out, her fingers catching in the sleeve of his leather jacket. "Wait, please don't…" her words caused both vampires to snarl angrily. Spike because he perceived it as Buffy protecting Angelus, and Angelus because it looked as if she was trying to protect Spike from his ire.

Spike yanked his arm free and stalked towards his Sire. "Please, don't destroy my apartment." Giles murmured weakly, sensing the tension in the room, his blind eyes looking about the room uselessly.

The two vampire's ignored his plea both to focused on the other as the distance closed between them as Spike's long legged stride ate away the distance between them. Spike swung a fist at Angelus, only to have it knocked aside deftly, before blocking the next blow as he fought to keep his calm despite the fact that he couldn't help but wonder just how much of Spike had touched Buffy. Buffy raced forward tears welling in her eyes as her hands touched both of their arms. "Please stop this. I'm sorry, this is all my fault, but please don't fight." Buffy pleaded.

Angelus couldn't stop the growl that burst forth this time, just before he raised his leg and slammed his knee up into Spike's gut forcing his Childe to fall to his knees, his arms wrapping around his stomach protectively. "Oh, Spike!" Buffy gasped as she fell to her knees beside her betrothed, her hands touching him comfortingly and protectively. She looked up at Angelus with watery eyes. "Stop it, Angelus!" She demanded.

Angelus met her gaze, before reaching down and pulling her to her feet, just as Spike looked up at him with angry blue eyes. "Hey, get your hands off of her!" He demanded. Angelus growled angrily and swiftly kicked out with his booted foot. Landing a solid kick under Spike's chin, forcing him to fly back and land in sprawled heap on the apartment floor.

Buffy frowned upset and with a hard shove pushed Angelus from her, sending her first love stumbling back to land on the apartment floor in an undignified heap of his own. "Stop it, just stop it, both of you! Why does everyone want to ruin my happy day? Why?" She questioned her voice growing despondent.

Angelus let out a slow breath telling himself to keep calm as one of his hands curled around one of the chains that had been used to keep Spike hostage, that had been carelessly left on the floor in the confused excitement of the day. He glanced down at it and a grim smile curled up his lips as he turned his gaze up at his girl who was looking down at him with a mixture of sadness and anger. "You know, I really didn't want to resort to something like this." He intoned keeping his voice gentle as he slowly got to his feet.

Buffy gave him a pleading look, wanting to make him understand. "Angelus, I know that your upset, and-and you have every right to be! But you can't help who you fall in love with… admittedly I didn't expect it to be Spike… but when has life ever been predictable?" Buffy asked, her voice wavering as her throat threatened to choke off her ability to speak at the pain her words caused her at having to hurt him in this way. Angelus' lip curled up slightly in a silent snarl as Buffy's words washed over him making him fight to keep his control. He had to keep reminding himself that nothing about this situation seemed right… that something had to have happened… something… powerfully wrong to do this to his girl… at least… he hoped that was it otherwise… Buffy's taste in men had gone straight out the window and gained a dose of crazy…

Spike shook his head as he came back to himself, looking up he spat blood from his mouth onto the carpet something that would have made Giles cringe if he could have seen it. His eyes landed on Angelus trying to get his future wife in the chains that had held him captive just earlier that day had him jumping up off the floor and rushing towards Angelus… unwittingly doing just as Angelus desired. Angelus felt his Childe quickly closing in on him and at just the right moment threw back his elbow, before turning around to face him, not at all worried that Buffy would attack him as she had been doing her utmost to not hurt him as she tried to explain that the last thing she had wanted to do was hurt him, and the more that had come out of her mouth the more he believed that it had to be some kind of spell at work that had put her in the situation she was in now.

It only took a few moments for him to get a snarling, very unhappy Spike securely tied back up in the chains, the lock securely in place, before he none to gently shoved him in the chair he had been sitting in when Angelus had first walked through the door. "Ya damn poncy bastard." Spike snarled as he wiggled in the chains, desperately trying to get free of his restraints.

Buffy stepped towards Angelus, not at all upset at having her betrothed back in bondage as she came to a stop behind Angelus, her gaze still fixed on the irate Spike. "What are you going to do to him?" She asked cautiously, not wanting to send Angelus into a rage with a misplaced question.

Angelus cracked his neck as he turned to face Buffy who was looking over Spike, the way she did when she was checking for injuries. "Nothing, so long as the idiot can keep his mouth shut." He muttered, severely doubting that his youngest Childe would be able to manage such a feat.

Buffy took a breath to give herself courage and brace herself for what she felt she had to say. "Angelus," She began. "I want you to know that I will always love you as my first love and friend… and I hope that despite everything that we can remain friends…"

Angelus closed his eyes, his nostrils flaring in frustration and anger. "Buffy, I'm warning you…" He said slowly, controlling his irritation.

"I didn't plan for any of this to happen… in fact it was really rather a surprise… an unexpected, out of nowhere kind of surprise, but a person shouldn't deny ones heart…"

Angelus hands clenched into fists as Buffy continued to babble, trying to explain herself, before she said one word to many and he snapped. "Alright, that's it! I'm gagging you." He growled, unwittingly echoing the words Buffy had said to Spike earlier that evening.

Buffy continued to talk, hoping to convince Angelus as she followed him around the apartment as he searched for something to bind her with. Giles not being able to take much more of Buffy's words of love involving Spike finally spoke up. "The chest." He offered, pointing in the general direction he knew the weapons chest to be. Angelus glanced over at him, surprised by the help from the ex-Watcher, before glancing over in the direction the chest. Stalking over to it, Buffy's continued ramblings annoying more and more with each word that fell from her lips. Throwing open the chest, he swiftly surveyed the contents before snatching up the coil of rope he found there. Spinning around on his heel he bent and swung Buffy up over his shoulder, cutting off her rambling in her surprise. Much to his relief. Stalking over to an empty chair he plonked her down far more gently then he had with Spike.

With swift movements he began winding the rope around her arms. Buffy attempted to struggle and get away half-heartedly as limb by limb she was bound to the chair. "Angelus, really aren't you taking this just a little too far? I mean, I know you're upset… justly so… but you have to believe me… I never wanted this to happen." She said her head bowing slightly, she really hadn't wanted anything like this to happen… marrying Spike had never not once entered her wish list… all she'd ever wanted was the man that was standing before her, with such dark unreadable eyes. Angelus stared down at her, not at all surprised by her words, they just confirmed what he had begun to suspect from the very early stages of walking into Giles condo… that some wacky spell was controlling some aspect of Buffy's… and more than likely Spike's will as well. After all Spike's feelings for his girl was far from fuzzy. "Angelus, please… people can't help what is in their heart, and my heart loves…"

"Alright!" Angelus growled cutting Buffy off as he stepped away from her, heading back towards the still open chest. "I'm really gonna gag you now." He declared. Bending over the chest, he shifted around in it, looking for anything that could be used as a gag. Finding a roll of duct tape he snatched it up and swiftly made his way back over to Buffy's chair, pulling a sheet of the duct tape away from the main roll as he walked.

"Angelus…" Buffy began again, eyeing the duct tape a little worriedly, not fancying being gagged. Angelus didn't even hesitate as he tore the strip of duct tape free of the roll and before she could say more he stuck it firmly over her mouth cutting off whatever else it was that she had wanted to say. Buffy looked up at him with hurt and sorry eyes and Angelus sighed tiredly, he could only imagine how Giles must feel having been dealing with this for much longer… so long that he had without hesitation welcomed him into his home… with relief. Bending down he placed a lingering kiss to Buffy's forehead, much to Spike's annoyance.

"Hey, watch it with the handsy-ness, mate. That's my future wife!" Spike growled as he struggled with his chains.

Angelus rubbed at his eyes, before glancing over at Giles, his eyes focusing on the glass of scotch he had painstakingly picked up through eyes that were unfocused and obviously blind. "You don't happen to have any more scotch, do you?"

Giles took the last gulp of his scotch. "In that cabinet." He said pointing with the glass. "And I could use a refill… if you don't mind." Angelus nodded, the action going unseen as he first walked into the kitchen in search of a glass. Finding one swiftly he took out the scotch bottle and made his way over to the couch sitting himself down beside Giles, before pouring both of them a healthy glass of the golden amber liquid.

Spike growled at being ignored. "Hey, I was talking to you, you poncy bastard. Don't you dare go around touching my wife like that again!"

Angelus flicked his gaze towards Spike, his gaze the coldest it had ever been when focused on his youngest. "Spike, if you don't shut your overly active mouth, I'll…"

"You'll what?" Spike scoffed unconcerned. "Gag me." He said with sarcastic worry.

Angelus gave him an evil smirk. "No, I'll begin plucking your teeth from you one by one with a pair of pliers." He threatened, causing Spike to gulp and swallow his next words. Angelus glanced over at Giles who was nursing his glass of scotch. "You wouldn't happen to have any pliers lying around somewhere, would you?" He asked the ex-Watcher, wanting nothing more than to do his Childe some physical harm.

Giles took another sip of his scotch. "I'm sure there's a pair lying about somewhere." He murmured. _'Tonight is turning out to be one of the strangest I've lived through… and that's saying a lot.'_ Giles thought as he raised the glass to his lips once again.

Angelus closed his eyes not wanting to see the room for a moment, the day had start off so well… only to end up like this... not how he had imagined the day ending. His eyes shot open a moment later as he heard the door burst open and the unwelcome sent of Xander and the female that seemed to have taken an interest in him enter the apartment in a hurry. "Board up the windows and barricade the doors!" Xander said urgently as he and Anya hurried into the living room, to distracted to take in the living room properly.

"What's going on?" Giles asked twisting around in his chair out of habit in an attempt to see Xander.

"Demons. They keep coming and coming." Anya explained through panted breaths.

"I think we lost them, but I couldn't see…" He trailed off completely distracted as he finally noticed Buffy tied to the chair and duct tape covering her mouth. "Buffy, she's all tied up and gagged and… and…" His eyes landed on Angelus who was sitting calmly on the couch, pondering over just how long it had taken him to notice. "Ahh! And Angelus is here… inside the apartment…"

"Good observation skills." Angelus mocked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Xander turned his gaze back to Giles. "Giles, have you gone insane! You've got Buffy tied up whilst Angelus is all free and able to maim people."

"N-Now, don't panic." Giles stuttered, knowing just how strange it might look. "There is a perfectly good explanation."

Xander shook his head. "I highly doubt that, Giles. I mean what perfectly good reasoning leaves Buffy in chains?"

"I kindly ask you to remember the soul sucking roommate incident." Giles said calmly.

Xander paused as he remembered that particular incident. "Ok, well… but come on Giles, how often can something like that happen, really?" He asked as he walked towards Buffy intent on releasing her.

"I wouldn't do that." Angelus said feeling the need to warn the boy, he never really liked to this day, if only to save himself from more of the drivel that would undoubtedly sprout from Buffy's mouth whilst whatever spell it was, was still affecting her.

Xander gave Angelus a look that clearly said he wasn't about to start listening to what Angelus had to say. "Buffy, what happened?" Xander asked as he pulled free enough of the duct tape to free her lips.

Buffy slid her tongue over her lips grimacing at the stickiness that was lingering there from the duct tape. "Uh, I'm marrying Spike, and things just escalated from there." She explained. Xander who had been beginning to work on freeing one of Buffy's arms from the rope, froze in shock his eyes widening as he looked up at Buffy hoping to hear her say that it was some kind of joke, only to see her meeting his eyes in complete and utter seriousness. Buffy turned her gaze to Angelus who was staring at the last bit of the scotch in his glass. "Angelus, please say you'll forgive me… I really, mmmmh." Buffy was cut off as Xander replaced the duct tape a shell shocked look on his face.

Angelus gave him a smug look. "I told you so."

"Ok, what kinda freaky-freakiness is going on here!" Xander exclaimed, horror struck at the words that had tumbled out of Buffy's mouth. It was hard enough to get used to the idea and be supportive of Buffy and Angelus being together… he didn't think he could even attempt to begin to understand how or why Spike… Xander shuddered at the idea.

"Why is everyone so stumped by this? It can't be any worse than a Slayer and the poncy bastard bumping the uglies." Spike grumbled, hating that he always seemed to be ridiculed for things that his Sire managed to get away with and even be praised for.

Xander felt his stomach churn at the images that flashed through his mind. "How about we start with absolutely everything and go from there."

Anya moved over to Xander and touched his arm drawing his gaze. "As amusing as that could be, I really don't think that we have that kind of time."

Xander nodded. "Uh, right." He agreed.

"Hey!" Spike growled as he struggled with his chains affronted by all the insults being thrown at him.

Angelus growled his eyes narrowing in Spike's direction. "What did I tell you about keeping your mouth shut?" Spike swallowed thickly. "I suggest you keep silent, unless you like the feel of toothless gums."

"Now, now… everyone just calm down." Giles ordered, swiftly growing tired of the bickering. The silence after Angelus' temporary solution having been lost to soon in his opinion.

"But what about the demons?" Anya moaned, not feeling like running anymore and with Buffy tied up and only the old man and a vampire that didn't even remotely like her she was sure that she was going to get even more sweaty and tired all over again. And the only times she liked getting sweaty and tired was when she was having sex with Xander.

Buffy who had been wiggling her lips and chin in an attempt to get the duct tape that seemed less sticky and looser since Xander had pulled it free and then stuck it back on again, finally managed to make one side fall away and gravity did the rest in getting her mouth freed. The duct tape hanging on by a corner as it hung limply from her face. "Giles is right Anya we need to calm down. If you lost the demons, that'll give us some time to figure this out." She said calmly, her mind switching into Slayer mode, her gaze flicking over to Spike as her mind ticked over. "Maybe the demons have something to do with Giles being blind." She suggested, surprising Xander and Anya once again.

"Giles is blind?" Anya murmured questioningly, her gaze going to Giles as he sat staring blankly, his gaze not meeting anyone in the room. Xander walked over to Giles and waved a couple of fingers in front of his eyes, hoping that it was a lie. The night was weird enough as it was what with the swarms of demons hunting him and Anya and Buffy and Spike wanting to marry.

Giles eyes swivelled from the left to right swiftly sensing movement in front of him as well as smelling something sweet. "Please stop whatever you're doing. You smell like fruit roll-ups."

"And a whole lot of bottom feeding demons." Angelus muttered mockingly, his nose scrunching up at all the offending demonic smells that were coming from the boy. Xander looked over at Angelus slightly startled, he'd known that he was there but he'd hadn't expected him to address him, especially not like that… not with Buffy in the room even as tied up as she was. Angelus had been rather careful about insulting them since he'd been trying to win Buffy over.

Buffy sent Angelus a look. "Play nice, Angelus." Angelus met her gaze for a moment, before looking away and Buffy sighed despondently as she looked over at Spike wondering why things had to turn out this way.

Spike looked around at the occupants of the room rather disgruntled. "This is the crack team that foils my every plan? I am deeply shamed." He muttered as he wondered just how he had ever lost to this bunch of idiots. Angelus looked over at his Childe and couldn't help, but silently agree with him, no matter how much he wanted to rip him to shreds right now for touch his future mate and daring to cover her with his despicable scent, smothering his own. Angelus cracked his neck, loosening the tensing muscles there as he tried to calm himself down.

Buffy smiled over at Spike lovingly. "Spike's right. We really should get organized."

Anya leaned into towards Xander her hand coming up to cup her mouth as she whispered. "Is it just me or is that really disturbing?" She asked, meaning the adoring smile Buffy had given Spike and the one he had returned.

Xander nodded, his face turning a little green at the sight. "It's not just you."

"What are you looking at?" Spike asked Buffy, his smile turning cheeky.

"The man I love." Buffy replied happily before blowing an air kiss at him, her gaze going immediately to Angelus who had growled in anger and disgust.

Xander raised a hand. "Can I be blind to?" He asked hopefully as he saw Spike return the kiss, the sight just a little too disturbing for him. Anya nodded her agreement a disturbed shudder running down her spine.

"I'll gladly poke your eyes out." Angelus offered, his temper foul and in no mood to be dealing with someone he found as irritating as Xander right now. "It'd probably even do something to improve your appearance." He said snidely.

Anya gripped Xander's arm tighter as she glared at Angelus, but was to intimidated by him to say anything in her mans' defence. Xander gulped and turned his gaze away from Angelus a little skittishly, before his eyes widened as something stuck a cord with his memory. "Wait… married… I know something…" He exclaimed making Angelus snort in disbelief, as far as he was concerned it would be a cold day in hell when Xander would know something that would be of interest or importance. "What is it? Everything's so familiar… work, brain…" Xander said, trying his best to encourage his brain into kicking into over drive, something it didn't like doing all that often, preferring to remain happily in a nice relaxed pace. "Oh! Oh! Oh!" He exclaimed as the memory hit him full force. "Willow!" He declared, proud of himself.

Buffy looked at Xander surprised. "What about Willow?" She asked concerned.

"Something about Willow and her griefy-poor-me mood swings… so, so tired of it." He informed them slightly annoyed now that he had remembered, what could very well be the cause behind the weird wackiness.

Anya perked up a little as she looked enquiringly up at Xander. "You mean I don't have to be nice about her anymore?"

Buffy frowned slightly as she gazed up at Xander from her positioned tied to the chair, the ropes beginning to chaff her skin irritatingly. "Well, we're all tired of it." She agreed with him, not having appreciated being snapped at for the littlest of things, things that weren't meant to insult but was taken that way anyway. "But what does it have to do with what's going on?" She asked.

"She told me I was a demon magnet, a-and you two should get married." Xander explained as he pointed between Spike and Buffy.

Giles sat up straighter, his eyes widening in realization as he wondered why he hadn't realized it sooner. "And… that I didn't see anything." He murmured, a small amount of relief hitting him at the confirmation that his blindness was indeed magic based.

"She did a spell." Buffy said as she remembered Willow telling her a bit about it earlier that night, before she'd had to go off to find Spike.

Giles nodded. "Yes… to have her will done. Whatever she says is coming true."

"And you both were effected. I probably only escaped because I'm The Slayer." Buffy said her gaze landing on Spike as she smiled at him reassuringly. Spike returned her smile once again and gave her a confirming nod, whilst Angelus gritted his teeth, forcing himself to remain seated as he fought the urge to fly at the restrained Spike and beat him bloody… there would be time enough for that later… once Buffy had been set to rights.

Xander rolled his eyes in disbelief at Buffy's denial of the obvious, Willow's spell having obviously done a number on her reasoning skills. "Yeah, right. You're marrying Spike because you're so right for each other." He muttered.

Buffy looked at her friend hurt. "Xander."

Spike glared at the boy for hurting his fiancé. "That's it… you're off the usher list." He said firmly, knowing that he couldn't threaten the boy with bodily harm without risking Buffy getting pissed off at him, something she'd already done tonight.

"People, Willow is out there and she probably doesn't know what she's doing." Giles said as he stood drawing everyone's attention from Buffy and Spike's wedding.

Xander nodded his agreement. "We gotta find her."

"Before somebody gets really hurt." Buffy added as she went to get up as well only for the rope to stop her. She winced as Giles tripped over the couch and landed with what had to be a painful thud. "Uh, but first… I think that someone needs to untie me."

"And me!" Spike growled, no way was he being left behind whilst his fiancé was going after a novice witch with the power to have her will done.

Angelus crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at his future mate who was looking at him expectantly waiting for him to untie her. Not sure if he liked the idea, he didn't think he could handle much more of her magic induced romance with Spike…

"Oh, sure. No one help me. I'm fine. I'm just blind after all." Giles grumbled from the ground, causing Xander to move into action as he hurried offer his aid. Having been distracted by the staring contest between Buffy and Angelus, wondering what the decision was going to be. To him the decision was simple, but with the way Angelus was at the moment, he didn't want to risk getting involved, after all he really liked his eyes the way they were, despite what they had witnessed…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow trudged miserably through Stevenson Hall, her shoulders slumped. All she'd wanted was some compassion and understanding from her friends, was that really too much to ask of them? A girl's night in wasn't too much to ask… she'd thought that her friends would rally around her, and understand that she didn't want the pain, that all she wanted was a quick and easy fix and go back to being the happy go-lucky girl that didn't feel this mind numbing pain sometimes made it feel like she couldn't breathe…

Willow turned into the level of her dorm room, she sighed as she spied her door. It hurt to know that there was no one in there waiting for her. Leaving her alone with her grief and misery, but all of her friends were all far too 'busy' to have time for her! She sniffled as she unlocked the door to the room she shared with Buffy, pushing it open she stepped inside, shoving it closed with another sigh, before she could take another step she felt two hands attach themselves to either side of her head, making her gasp and her heart race with fear. Electric like blue bolts whirled around her head affecting her vision, and sending strange feeling magical tingles down her entire body… it kind of felt like burning except there was no pain… the next thing she felt was a sudden jerk and then her vision was surrounded by darkness as she was teleported without even a by your leave…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy walked through Stevenson Hall with Angelus standing between her and Spike, whilst Xander and Anya brought up the rear. "Why does he have to come with us?" Xander asked as he gestured to Spike with annoyance, the tension between the two vampires palpable in the air, something that set his nerves on edge. Not to mention the fact that Spike was just generally annoying on your average day, but now… it was ten times worse.

"Xander," Buffy began patiently. "Spike is going to be my husband…"

"Buffy." Angelus grumbled warningly.

Buffy gave Angelus an apologetic look, having momentarily forgotten the promise she had given him in return for Spike being allowed to be unchained and come along. A thing she had gladly given, after all if Spike was to be her husband, he'd have to start being included. "I want him included." She finished lamely. She glanced covertly over at Angelus, not that she wasn't glad that he had wanted to come, but at the same time… it did leave her feeling awkward… after all it wasn't like she didn't love Angelus anymore… but it couldn't be easy especially with Spike their a constant reminder that she was marrying his Childe…

"I agree with Xander here." Spike muttered as he continued walking, finding himself growing increasingly bored with the whole thing. He was freed from his chains now, which was what he had really wanted and now that he was tagging along… he was remembering just how dull being on the side of the white hats was… it had also cost him his first real love… Drusilla… "Seems like a lot of work for people who hunt us."

Buffy gave Spike an exasperated look from around Angelus' figure. "Spike, these are my friends. Besides, it's kinda my job."

Spike reached around behind Angelus and patted Buffy's hand. "For now." He told her as he withdrew his hand, whilst Buffy glared at him in annoyance. "What? You want me to stop working?" She growled annoyed at his chauvinistic idea.

Angelus smirked as Buffy opened the door to her dorm room and stepped inside after her followed by Xander and Anya whilst Spike was forced to remain outside by the protective barrier that kept uninvited vampires out. Angelus gave Spike a smug look at having blundered so badly, even an idiot like Spike should know better than to try and talk a modern day woman out of her job. Especially one as strong willed as Buffy; his mate!

Spike rolled his eyes at Angelus as he folded his arms over his chest as he leaned against the doorframe. "Let's see." He said sarcastically. "Do I want you to five up killing all my friends? Yeah, I've given it some thought." He growled.

"What friends would those be?" Angelus asked snidely, as Buffy ignored her peroxide blond fiancé as she squatted down by a circle of burned carpet by the door.

"This is burned." She stated as Anya knelt down beside her with a frown of worry and concentration marring her brow as she studied the familiar burn.

"Ta'hoffren." She murmured as her fingers touched the still slightly warm patch of carpet. "Bastard, he's opened a portal here." She said with some heat, still feeling rather betrayed by her old boss from when he refused to help her regain her powers. Powers that if she had regained, she would have used to cause him some serious pain in her vengeance.

"Who?" Buffy asked, unfamiliar with the name.

"Oh, fluffy." Spike interrupted from his spot outside the door, his eyes landing on an orange fluffy skirt that had been thrown over the end of her bed at some stage earlier that day, when Buffy had been searching her closest for something to wear. Buffy looked over at Spike annoyed before following his gaze, something that Angelus was already doing, his lips tight as he fought the urge to snarl as he couldn't help but wonder why such a frivolous piece of clothing was out in public view. Getting to her feet she marched over to the skirt and picked it up giving both Spike and Angelus the full view of the skirt for a moment. Spike licked his lips. "Wear this to the rehearsal dinner and the whole thing's off." He said, jealousy bolting through him.

Buffy rolled her eyes at him annoyed by his antics as she threw the skirt haphazardly back into her wardrobe. "Now's not the time, Spike." Buffy said seriously as she walked back over to Anya.

"Ta'hoffren, he made me a demon 1120 years ago." Anya explained as she stood up as Buffy made it back over to her.

"Why would he attack, Willow?" Buffy asked feeling uneasy about the whole thing.

Anya shook her head as she looked down at the familiar burnt circle. "I don't believe he did." She murmured, causing Buffy's worry for her friend to grow.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow looked around the dark room that was almost pitch black, the shapes of numerous demons of different kinds surrounding her in a circle, just out of full view. "You have much anger and pain." Ta'hoffren spoke, drawing Willow's gaze to him, her eyes widening at the sight of him standing in front of her. The sight making her want to take a step back from him, even though he had made no move to attack her, aside from bringing her here. "Your magic is strong, but your pain… it's like a scream that pierces dimensional walls. We heard your call."

"I-I'm sorry." Willow apologized as she took a small step back, her eyes still focused on the demon in front of her cautiously. "I'll try for a quiet rage. Bye." She said hurriedly, before turning on her heel and made to hurry off only for her way to be blocked by the demons that's had noticed standing in the darkness just beyond full view, and reluctantly she turned back towards Ta'hoffren.

"Our intention is not to quash your potential… quite the contrary." He assured the young red head as she fully turned back towards him, the wary look still in her eyes as she stared up at the slender, grey-blue skinned demon. The tuffs of hair around his small pointy horn and beard white as snow, giving a hint that he was an ancient demon. The first she'd seen to actually have hair that had lightened with age.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"I'd been dumped," Anya continued to explain as she hurriedly along the cemetery with the others, clutching the things she needed to perform the summoning spell. "I was miserable, doing a few vengeance spells… boils on the penis, nothing fancy." She informed them, unable to help the proud tone that coloured her voice, completely unaware of the three winces she had raised in the three men in the group as they continued moving.

"Please skip ahead." Xander pleaded as he fought the urge to cup himself with his hands protectively from his girlfriend. He had a funny feeling that he would be having nightmares of Anya cursing him with boils on his manhood.

Anya shrugged. "Ta'hoffren got wind of me, he offered to elevate me." She said, skipping to the end of the story.

"Meaning?" Buffy enquired a little impatiently as she jumped elegantly over a tombstone.

"He made me a demon." Anya elaborated as they made it to the crypts of the cemetery.

"Oh God, Willow." Buffy exclaimed worriedly. "But you can summon this guy from this crypt, right?" She asked worriedly, seeking to confirm what Anya had attempted to explain in her dorm room. "You can make him stop…" She trailed off distracted by the sight of Ivy growing up the side of the crypt. "Oh My God! Wouldn't this be a perfect place for pictures?" She gushed at Spike, once again forgetting her promise in her rush of excitement. She ran up to the crypt as she examined the ivy, imagining the kind of pictures that could be taken in front of the crypt. It not occurring to her just how strange it was that she wanted her wedding pictures to be taken in such an unlucky place for a wedding as a cemetery.

"I'm not posing for chattal." Spike grunted as he crossed his arms over his chest, a defiant look on his face

"And there's not going to be a wedding." Angelus growled, a vein in his head beginning to throb in his growing anger. This spell seriously beginning to piss him off.

Spike gulfed at him, unable to resist taunting his Sire. "And just what do you think you can do to stop it?"

Angelus growled as he lunged over the space separating him from Spike, his left hand fisting in the lapels of Spike's shirt, his right raised and curled into a fist that was aimed at his Childe's face. "Killing the groom comes to mind." He snarled, his face shifting into the face of the demon.

Xander who had been fearfully waiting for something like this to happen from the moment they had all left Giles condo, scared that he'd somehow get caught in the crossfire of their brawl, watched with wide eyes and took a hesitant step back. He saw something move out of the corner of his eye and reluctantly he pulled his gaze away from the two vampire's that looked about ready to see each other dead, only for his dread to grow as his eyes landed on what had moved. "Hey… demon." He cried out, pointing at it for emphasis, drawing everyone's attention even Angelus' and Spike's and Angelus slowly released Spike's shirt and began lowering his fist.

"Ya bloody poofter." Spike muttered as he straightened his clothes. Angelus growled and his fist quickly rose once again and this time hitting the younger vampire straight in the nose sending Spike stumbling back with a curse.

Buffy walked up to the demon being careful of her surroundings not wanting to destroy the picturesqueness with a careless step. "Ok, listen… now we're gonna do this without ruining the foliage." She said determinedly as she swung her first punch at the demon, only for it to be blocked and for it to retaliate with a punch of its own. Buffy blocked it and grabbed its arm, twisting it viciously behind its back. She planted a foot in its ass, sending it stumbling away before it fell to a heap on the ground. She was going to wait for it to get up to continue her attack only for another demon to appear seemingly out of nowhere and she could have almost sobbed as she realized that they were just going to keep on coming and no doubt with their clumsy careless footsteps destroy the whole area, rendering it useless for her wedding pictures. "Let's go!" She called and immediately began running for the crypts door, the others following her quickly as more and more demons appeared around the crypt… all of them too weak to resist the will of Willow's spell.

Anya raced quickly for the far side of the crypt setting down her stuff hurriedly as she began drawing a circle around herself as she knelt on the dirty crypt floor, knowing that she needed to hurry. Buffy grasped the lid of a tomb inside the crypt, Spike hurriedly grabbing the other helping her lift it. They'd begun moving when Spike dropped his end as Angelus knocked him angrily out of the way, the jealousy not allowing him to allow Spike any kind of closeness with his girl. Picking up the fallen end he ignored Buffy's eye roll. They carried the lid to the door hurriedly erecting it against the door leaning against it as the demons started hammering against the door hankering to get in and get to Xander who was looking around the crypt wide eyed as demons battered at every possible entrance into the old crypt.

"Blessed be, the name of Ta'hoffren. Let this space be now a gateway to the world of Arash Ma'har, where demons are spawned." Anya began to chant, a frown of concentration and worry darkening her brow as sweat began beading on her forehead.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"The pain and suffering you brought upon those you love is inspiring." Ta'hoffren said encouragingly, Willow's vengeance inspiring him, something he had not felt in years. "You are ready to join us here in Arash Ma'har." He informed her with a smile.

Willow looked at him confused. "Pain… what pain?" She asked. _'I haven't caused any pain. Have I? I'm the one feeling pain…'_ She thought a little worriedly.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy gasped for breath as a demons hand tightened around her throat as the demon pressed her up against the open crypt, almost threatening to push her in to join the dead body that had turned to a skeleton many years ago. "Buffy!" Spike yelled from his position leaning against the lid of the tombstone in an attempt to keep most of the demons out. Spike's shout drew Angelus' attention from the couple of demons he was fighting. Throwing them off him, he hurried towards Buffy.

"Not doin' well here." Xander panted as he reluctantly joined Spike leaning against the door as Spike began to struggle keeping it closed by himself.

In the corner Anya continued to chant struggling to remember all the words as well as desperately trying to ignore all the sounds of battle that was coming from behind her. "We come in supplication. We bend as the reed… in the flow of uh… no, wait…" She muttered, the chant not sounding right in her ears. "We-We come in the flow of the, uh… ugh!" She shouted in frustration before taking a deep calming breath as she decided to start all over again. "Blessed be, the name of Ta'hoffren…"

Buffy began to gasp as she was still being choked by the demon as she struggled to not fall into the already occupied crypt the ick factor too high for her. Finally she managed to slip free of the demon as Angelus reached her grabbing hold of the demon and snapped its neck with a satisfying crunch. Buffy gave Angelus a nod of thanks, before hurrying over to Spike in response to his earlier call, much to Angelus' irritation. "They're strong, and I can't fight." Spike said slightly out of breath as the demons continued to batter against the door desperate to get into the crypt. "If they get in, I don't know if I can protect you." He told her feelingly.

Buffy looked at him taken aback, a frown pulling down her brow once again. "You think you have to protect me?" She asked, not sure how she felt about that coming from him.

"She doesn't need you to protect her." Angelus said darkly having followed her over, his hand coming to rest possessively on Buffy's shoulder. "She has me."

Buffy looked from one to the other the frown still pulling down her brow. "Who said I need any one to protect me?" She muttered, even though Angelus' offer to protect her gave her a happier feeling then Spike's.

Spike rolled his eyes frustrated. "Oh, not the Girl-Power bit!" He growled, before pressing himself more firmly against the door as a particular hard hit rocked against it. Another hit pounded against the door even stronger sending Xander and Spike reeling away from the door the lid of the tomb falling away with a crash as the demons trampled in with ferrous growls. Immediately Buffy grabbed the closest demon punching it hard in the face, just as Angelus struck one that had moved to sucker punch his future mate.

Across the crypt Anya jumped to her feet as one of the demons that had gotten past Buffy attacked Xander with the full brunt of its rage. Running across the crypt she jumped on the demons back and began batting at it with her hands curled into fists, she doesn't last long as she is promptly swung off and tossed to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Seeing his girlfriend fall to the ground Xander rushed the demon with a yell escaping his lips to build his courage, he attacked the demon as best he could.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

In Arash Ma'har Ta'hoffren waved his hand and in that direction a ragged dimensional window appeared in the blackness lighting it up a bit more, placing more of it in her weak human vision, but she didn't take the chance to look around as her gaze focused on the mess she had made in her dimension. Her friends struggling with a horde of demons she had accidentally sicked on Xander. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw Buffy get beaten back by a particularly vicious blow and then Angelus who had been distracted by Buffy falling to the ground swiftly getting harried back as a group of demons drove him back into the crypt their ugly hands grasping his arms, forcing them away from his body as another began pounding on his stomach. "Oh, God. But I didn't mean to!" She pleaded, wanting Ta'hoffren to see that it was all just a horrible mistake. She hadn't meant for anything like this to happen… especially not to her friends!

Ta'hoffren looked at her steadily unmoved by her words. "But you did. This is the result of your power. You will make a fine vengeance demon." He complemented her.

Willow shook her head desperately, not wanting to believe it, but the proof was right in front of her. "No, please! You have to help them!" She pleaded, knowing that she couldn't help them from this weird dimension, but hoping that perhaps Ta'hoffren could.

"It is not my concern." He told her coldly. "You are my interest in this matter." He said matter-a-fact-ly.

Willow swallowed as she gathered her courage. "Really… no offense intended… I mean, you've been super-nice and everything, but…" She said carefully, aware that she was babbly as she tried to work up the courage to give him her refusal. "I don't want to be a demon. I just wanna go back and help my friends." She informed him as she bit her lower lip as her gaze went back to the window to see that her friends were still getting beaten around by the demons. She winced to see Xander getting thrown over the shoulder of one as he tried to protect Anya as she enraged it by kicking it in the shin when it went to attack Xander.

Ta'hoffren looked at her with growing disappointment. He'd really meant it when he said she would make a fine vengeance demon, and he was still short one since Anyanka had fallen from their ranks. "That is your answer?" He asked slowly.

Willow nodded nervously, unsure as to what his reaction might be. Demons weren't known for their tolerance… "It-It is." She said hoping to sound firm, but only managing to sound worried.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Ta'hoffren, said, his voice sounding menacing in Willow's ears, those words in movies when spoken by a bad guy never boded well for the person in her position. But then Ta'hoffren shrugged, that one action easing the tension and fear that had been building inside of her. "Oh well. here is my talisman." He told her lightly as he handed over a card that had the chant needed to summon him and the method needed. Willow took it reluctantly, unwilling to risk offending the demon now that she knew that he would be letting her go. "You change your mind, give us a chant." He told her and Willow nodded her understanding.

She watched with curious eyes her fear leaving her as her natural curiosity about all things especially things involving magic took hold of her. Ta'hoffren raised his arms and as simple as that Willow felt the world shift around her once again and blackness fill her vision as she began shifting through dimensional space. The feeling this time giving her a rush as the fear wasn't there this time.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy grunted as she struggled with yet another demon, her arms straining to hold him back. Swivelling around Buffy kicked out catching the demon in the side, knocking him away from her for a moment, when he came at her again, she punched him full in the face. She would have gone after him except that she saw Spike get knocked down by another demon. With a dark frown she lunged at the demon, unleashing the fury on him that only a woman in love could achieve. Kicking the demon away, she hurried over to Spike and knelt down beside him a worried expression her face. "Oh, Spike… are you ok?" She asked as she leaned over him.

Angelus hearing her with his keen ears, looked up from where he had been busily punishing the demons that had been stupid enough to lay a fist to him a growl spilling from between his lips, overly sick of this night as he saw the closeness between the two.

"Slayer…" Spike murmured in what was almost a growl, before Buffy leaned down and kissed him, causing a feral growl to erupt from Angelus as he jumped up from beating the demons down, leaving them bloody and unconscious as he hurried towards his mate and his irritating Childe, one that would be lucky to survive the night after this!

Willow appeared in the crypt, materializing against the wall out of the way of the action. With sad eyes she looked around to see Anya and Xander continuing to beat up on the same demon that refused to fall unconscious no matter how many times they punched or kicked the demon that just growled and continued trying to get up and attack the both of them. She glanced over at Buffy and Spike, her eyes widening and a queasy feeling churning up the pit of her stomach to see them kissing passionately thankfully it was only for a movement as Angelus tore her away from Spike, much to Buffy's annoyance.

"Angelus!" Buffy cried as she struggled in Angelus' arms. "Spike could be hurt!"

Angelus rolled his eyes and simply held her tighter. "Yeah, causing kissing him is the way to check for injuries." He grumbled, his voice mocking.

Willow took a deep breath as she ran the reversal chant for the spell, before she began to speak, her hands fluttering about her nervously, not being able to help wondering if it wouldn't work… "Let the healing power begin. Let my will be safe again. As these words of peace are spoken, let this harmful spell be broken." She finished as her hands clasped together in front of her as she looked about nervously and let out a small breath of relief as the demons ran off without so much as a backward glance. All wondering what they had been doing there in the first place.

Buffy went lax in Angelus' arms and she looked around for a moment confused, before she realized what had happened what she had been doing… what she had been feeling… what she'd agreed to do… what she had been doing. "Oh, ugh!" She groaned, feeling nauseated to her very core.

"Oh bloody hell!" Spike growled as he rolled to his feet, still feeling the feel of her lips on his, her tongue in his mouth… Spike dry gagged as he stumbled away, wanting to put some distance between himself and Buffy and not to mention an obviously pissed of Angelus!

"Spike lips! Lips of Spike!" She yelped completely grossed out and completely believing that she could be sick right on the spot. She ran her teeth over her tongue as she tried to get the taste of Spike out of her mouth to no avail, the taste seeming to be burned into her taste buds, like a bad mixture of spices that weren't supposed to be mixed!

Angelus released Buffy glad beyond belief that Buffy was back to normal, all her feelings for Spike vanishing as soon as the spell had been released. She glanced up nervously at Angelus, before turning her gaze away, not wanting to see what was in his brown eyes. Feeling really rather dirty and ashamed of herself in that moment… she'd been kissing, her eyes darted over to Spike who was running his hands through his hair as if trying to dispel her touch there… _that_. Buffy shuddered and then her eyes landed on Willow and she breathed out a sigh of relief at seeing her alive and unharmed. Willow looked at around at them as all eyes settled on her. "Hi, guys." She said nervously, unsure of her welcome after all the trouble she had caused. Her gaze landed on Angelus and she shuddered at the anger she saw in his dark eyes… it was a look she hadn't seen directed at her in a long time… but it still had the same chill effect on her blood cells.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow stood in Giles kitchen with Anya who was holding a plate for her as she slid chocolate-chip cookies onto the plate. Anya sighed tired of being assigned to kitchen helper. "How long are you going to keep making these?" She asked the chocolate chip smell stuck in her nostrils.

Willow gave a small shrug. "Oh, until I don't feel so horribly guilty. I figure about a million chips from now. Also I have to detail Giles' car." She informed Anya as she took the loaded up plate from Anya's hands. Walking out of the kitchen she carried them toward where Xander and Giles were sitting.

"Time?" Xander asked as he held up the clock he had just looked at, aiming it at Giles.

"A-ha…" Giles stumbled as he slid his glasses back in place his hope for 20/20 vision disappearing. "Five past two. Thursday." He answered.

Buffy watched from her position across the room, slightly separate from everyone else and a fair amount of distance between herself and Angelus who had been responsible for man handling Spike back to the apartment and tying him rather tightly to the chair he was now miserably sitting at. Everything indicating that he was more than just a little peeved off… of course the scowl he was directing in a suspiciously Willow direction was another give away, and she was ready to jump in if she needed to, but she hoped she wouldn't have to… she didn't really feel in the mood for drawing attention to herself. Why did her day have to end so horribly, after it had started off so well? As she watched Willow offered the plate to Giles. "Look, cookies. A very not-evil thing I did." She heard Willow say in that nervous way of hers.

"Oatmeal?" Willow tempted as she held up the plate for Giles.

Giles looked at the cookies and immediately removed his glasses suddenly fearing that something was wrong, before scowling as he took a cookie. "Yes, very funny." He grouched. "They're chocolate chip. I can see them. I still need my glasses, though." He said as he replaced them. "You could have given me 20/20."

Willow smiled sensing that she had been forgiven by the ex-Watcher. Buffy who had gotten up hoping to slip outside for a few moments was way laid by an over eager Willow as she came up to her as she was about to pass by Spike. "Eat a cookie; ease my pain?" She urged with her nervous hopeful smile curling up her lips as she stared at Buffy hopefully.

Buffy returned her smile with a small one. She took one off the plate and took a big bite and was glad for the flavour that burst over her tongue helping to remove Spike's taste from her mouth. "Mm. Better?" She asked Willow.

Willow shrugged. "Well, baking lifts about 30% of my guilt, but only 7% of my inner turmoil. Guess that'll just take a while." She said a little sheepishly, knowing all too well that that her accepting that revelation had come just a little too late.

"It'll happen." Buffy assured her friend with a gentle touch to her shoulder.

Spike who was sick of looking between them and waiting to be offered one of the tantalizing cookies rolled his eyes in impatience. "Don't I get a cookie?"

Buffy gave him a cold annoyed look. "No." She said firmly, not feeling at all generous after the night she had just been put through.

Spike gave her an annoyed look that quickly turned smug. "Well, I gotta have something. I still have Buffy taste in my mouth." He grumbled snidely.

Buffy glared at him, hating the reminder that her tongue had been down his throat, the reminder making the taste of him resurface in her mouth, making her want to gag. "You're a pig, Spike." She muttered, before taking a bite out of her cookie, the flavour of the cookie having the desired effect of washing his taste from her mouth once again.

"Yeah… well, I'm not the one who wanted, 'Wind Beneath My Wings' for the first dance." He said mockingly, unable to let Buffy get the last word in this one. His voice loud enough for every person in the apartment to hear.

Buffy looked around the apartment completely and utterly embarrassed and unable to meet Angelus' eyes once again. "That was the spell." She excused weakly, before walking into the kitchen hiding herself from view.

Willow gave Spike a disapproving look, before stuffing a cookie in his mouth if only to get him to shut up, but also because there was the tiniest bit of guilt she felt towards the peroxide blond. She followed Buffy out into the kitchen. Angelus stood from his spot perched on the arm of a couch chair and stalked towards Spike aware, but not caring that every eye on the room was on him, waiting to see what he would do.

Reaching Spike he placed a hand on the back of his head another hand coming up to cup his chin and he felt Spike still and stiffen beneath his touch. "Be glad _my girl_ needs you alive." He whispered darkly in his Childe's ear, before he tightened the grip he had on Spike's chin, his fingers digging into Spike's cheek painfully as his finger curled around his jaw, before tugging with as much strength as he needed, pulling at the awkward angle needed until he heard the satisfying sound of crack of his jaw breaking. Spike groaned in pain the cookie dropping from his mouth as pain exploded up from his now broken jaw. Angelus released him non to gently as he stepped back deliberately jostling his jaw, causing a fresh wave of pain to course through him. Spike groaned refusing to scream in the room full of white hats. He glared at his Sire as he stepped back, but was internally glad that that was all Angelus had done… but he wasn't fooled he had no doubt that the poncy bastard would be giving him hell for a long time… as if it was his fault that the bloody red head had hooked him with a spell…

"Did I mention the sorry part?" Willow asked as she joined Buffy in the kitchen, an apologetic look on her face as she studied the embarrassed down cast one on Buffy's.

Buffy forced herself to shrug, not wanting to make Willow feel worse then she already did over the whole thing. "We may be into a forgetting spell later." She said, only half joking, another part of her really wanting to get Willow to try one, if only to spare her the embarrassment… even though she knew especially after this it wasn't the wisest course, but everything was just so awkward now… especially with Angelus… "I loved him…" Buffy said with a shudder. "We were betrothed." She muttered disgustedly as she made a face.

"Uh, well… at-at least you were getting along… and-and had Angelus there to stop you from doing anything… to scaring… right?"

Buffy gave small nod as she bit her lower lip, before giving herself a small shake. She took another cookie from the plate, before sighing. "I think I might make a move Wills. I kinda have the urge to get, uh… de-Spike'd." She said as she scrunched up her nose in distaste, she swore that she could literally feel him clinging to her like a bad smell!

Willow nodded her understanding. "Oh." She exclaimed and walked over to a small brown paper bag she had packed with a few cookies. "Give these to Angelus for me." She said in a low voice. "I'm kinda to scared to approach him right now." She confided.

Buffy nodded as she accepted the bag, not sure when she'd have the courage to face Angelus long enough to give it to him… maybe after she'd been under a scorching hot shower and scrubbed her skin raw. "I'll uh, see you back at the dorm." Buffy mumbled, before turning and heading back out of the kitchen. Doing her best to sneak out of the apartment, she headed for the back door as it didn't involve walking through the bulk of the living room and everyone sitting in there. When she walked out into the night she breathed a sigh of relief as the cool night air washed over her, believing that she had managed to sneak out of the apartment unnoticed for the moment. She knew it wouldn't take long for the others to notice her absence, but Willow would cover for her.

She stepped out into the back courtyard of Giles condo, headed in the direction of the street, her head filled with ideas of that shower. Angelus who had seen his little mates sneaky get away, followed her out into the night. He watched her walk away with slumped shoulders for a moment from the doorway, before quickly moving after her, his longer stride eating the distance between them. Buffy paused in her stride, her body stiffening slightly as she felt the familiar presence of Angelus closing in on her. She was in the middle of forcing herself to turn around and face him when his arms closed around her and her feet left the ground… and she found herself in the all too familiar position of being slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Angelus?" Buffy asked as she did her best to prop herself up against his shoulder, not enjoying the feeling of blood rushing to her head.

"Now, where do you think you're going, Buff?" Angelus asked as he began walking, making it out onto the street, his long stride quickly taking them out of sight of Giles condo.

Buffy wriggled slightly on Angelus' shoulder trying to get a little more comfortable, a difficult feat with his shoulder digging into her stomach, whilst hoping that he would set her down. "Uh, well. I was planning on a long hot shower…" She muttered a little sheepishly. "Where are you taking me?" She forced herself to ask, the image of his tight angry features in the apartment just before causing a shiver to run up her spine.

Angelus sighed softly as he heard the nervousness in Buffy's voice. "To the mansion." He replied calmly. Buffy twisted in his grip, surprised by how calm and collected his sounded… as if he wasn't angry at all… but she knew that that wasn't the case at all… Angelus smirked as he continued to walk feeling Buffy's gaze on him. "I agree that you're in desperate need of a shower. Spike's scent is all over you… and I don't like it." His voice going from slightly playful, to completely serious as a frown darkened his brow, the fact that Spike's scent covered his own on Buffy's lithe body hurting his male pride and offending his senses… at the moment it was a constant reminder of the fact that Spike had had his unworthy pale reaching hands on the woman he planned on mating one day in the near future.

He felt Buffy stiffen in his arms once again, and his frown deepened for a moment at the fresh reminder that Buffy still felt skittish of his wrath… it was not a pleasant feeling to know that your mate feared you… a mate's fear was never something to relish. "But not to worry, Buff. We'll soon change that." He assured her, with a playful swat to her tempting ass.

Buffy let out a surprised yip at the swat that hadn't really hurt. "Uh, do you think you could put me down?" She asked a little hopefully, the awkward position she was in putting strain on her muscles as she struggled to maintain a somewhat upright position to prevent her blood rushing to her head. "My legs are still capable of getting me from A to B." She quipped weakly, knowing as soon as the words had left her mouth that it was probably one of her weakest attempts at wit.

"No, I don't think I can." Angelus replied immediately. "I'm enjoying holding a willing you." He confided, his voice smug. The only downside was Spike' scent coming off her.

Buffy hung her head as she remembered struggling against his grip to get to Spike; more than once that night. "Ugh, don't remind me." She muttered weakly, the sick nauseating feeling churning in her stomach again.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"So, how's the guilt meter, Wills?" Xander asked as he reached for a cookie Willow had just slid onto an already loaded plate.

Willow smacked at Xander's hand making the boy retract his hand from the plate with a confused look. "Those ones are for, Buffy." She explained as she slid another one from the warm tray to the plate.

Xander looked around the apartment suddenly realizing that he hadn't seen Buffy in a while. "Where is the Buffster?" He asked, getting a shrug from Anya as his gaze swept over her, and a confused look from Giles who had just realized she was gone as well.

Willow gave a sheepish shrug as she placed the last cookie from the tray onto the plate. "Well, I think… Buffy and Angelus felt the need for some alone bonding time after everything that's uh… happened tonight." She suggested, having noticed Angelus' swift departure after Buffy had made hers.

"In that case, why the Buffy cookie horde?" Xander asked as he attempted once again to reach for a cookie on the plate.

Willow swatted at his hand with the back of her spatula. "Well, I figure she's the one I put through the most tonight… well her and Angelus…" She mumbled miserably, a shudder running down her spine at the memory of Angelus' dark angry face, one that she believed had been following her every movement… a belief she hoped was only a guilt ridden fantasy.

Xander cleared his throat as he gave Willow a pointed look. "Uh, had demons sicked on me."

Willow sighed. "Keep your pants on. I've got another tray baking that are all yours." She promised, making Xander smile in delight at the idea of having an entire tray to himself. Willow heard the timer beep and she turned towards the oven, grabbing the mitts along the way. Carefully taking out the tray she carried it back over to Xander and swiftly began sliding the cookies onto the cooling rack she had set up. "Here you go." She said brightly as she set the last cookie on the rack. "Just one question," Willow said making Xander pause in mid reach as he had been going for a cookie. "Would you rather have demons after you or… kissing Spike?" She asked.

Xander swallowed his face turning a pale shade of green. Silently he grabbed the rack bringing it closer to him as he began shoving more cookies on Buffy's plate until more than half the newly baked cookies that Willow had told him could be his sat on Buffy's plate. "Bring on angry demons with a Xander homing beacon any day." He muttered, shaking the burnt fingers on his hand when he was done, deciding to wait for the portion he'd left for himself to cool a bit longer, despite how much he wanted to eat another one.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy scrubbed at her skin with a soft cloth as she stood under the spray of the shower head, the water almost too hot for her to bear, but she persisted in her scrubbed, wanting to remove Spike's vile touch from her body and to expel his scent from her skin, not wanting Angelus to have to smell it on her. Her nose had stopped picking up his scent on her skin a while ago, but… she knew that Angelus' far more sensitive nose would more than likely still pick it up. Buffy shuddered and scrubbed a little harder, her hand reaching for the spicy scented soap that she was so used to smelling on Angelus…

"Are you alive in there?" Angelus asked as he leaned against the bathrooms doorframe, his voice amused.

"This is so not funny." Buffy growled, her voice aggravated as she continued to scrub.

Angelus chuckled softly, much to Buffy's consternation. "Actually I think it's quite amusing." He told her softly as he watched her as she continued to scrub like her life depended on it. The image reminding him of the way he had stood in the atrium over a basin of holy water as he'd done his best to scrub the 'love' from his under his skin. Something that had been a useless endeavour all he'd managed to do was make his skin bleed. Angelus took in a breath, breathing in the spicy scent of if his soap. "You're starting to smell better, lover. The scent of my soap suites you."

Buffy smiled glad and relieved that she was indeed starting to smell better and her scrubbing eased slightly, before she stiffened as a memory hit her out of nowhere. "Oh God!" She groaned, dropping the cloth from suddenly lax fingers. Angelus straightened, his expression somewhat concerned as he made to move towards the shower. "Riley thinks I'm marrying, Spike!" She groaned miserably as she held her head in her hands.

Angelus relaxed, realizing that it was nothing dire as he shrugged. "What of it?" He asked. "It's not like he's anyone important."

"I don't care how unimportant you think he is!" Buffy bemoaned. "I don't want anyone going around believing that I'd get hitched to Spike!"

Angelus shrugged as he stepped over to the shower. "At least if he believes you're getting married he might back off you." He murmured as his eyes racked down Buffy's naked form that the steam surrounding her tried to hide from his view.

"Angelus, he's just a friend, nothing more." Buffy said confidently as she moved to turn off the water.

"To you he's just a friend. To him, you're a possible partner… if he can ever manage to woo you away from me." Buffy rolled her eyes, convinced that Angelus was seeing things through a jealous hazed glass where Riley was concerned, just as he had once done with Xander.

Buffy turned off the water and moved to step out of the shower, her stride determined. Wanting nothing more than to set the record straight now that she had cleansed herself, Angelus was in her way though, and had no intention of moving as he took her wet form in his arms. "Where do you think you're going?" He asked as he swung her out of the wet shower.

Buffy squirmed trying to get free for a moment. "To do my best to salvage my reputation. Which will be ruined if word gets out that I was betrothed to Spike, no matter for how short a time."

Angelus lifted her feet off the ground a second time as he slowly began walking her backwards. "That can wait. We have more important things to do tonight." He murmured huskily.

Buffy swallowed thickly as his words sent heat rushing through her; heat that settled in her core. "Oh, and what could be more important than being able to show my face around campus?" She asked, her voice a little breathless, as she felt her juices slipping from her as Angelus continued to carry her backwards, until her back pressed up against the damp sink.

Angelus settled her on the sink, before releasing her so that he could bury one hand in her wet freshly washed hair, the other going to the belt belted tightly about his waist, his hand making short work of it, before beginning work on the clasp of his leather pants. "Chasing off the last of Spike's touch with mine."

Buffy sucked in a sharp breath as his words sent more heat through her body, her core clenching with her arousal. "Sounds like a plan." She moaned, before Angelus' mouth came down on hers, his tastebuds picking up the faint taste of the chocolate chip cookies she had eaten at Giles. Buffy moaned again as Angelus' hand touched her pussy, his fingers sliding in between the lips of her pussy, a shiver of delight running through her as she raised her hands from the bench she was sitting on to bury them in his hair, enjoying the feel of his hair under her fingers. Hair that was so much softer and pleasanter than Spike's who had his gelled back completely.

Her hands slipped down from his hair to run over his body. Her hands eager to reacquaint themselves with his body, she tore at his clothes until she was able to tear the shirt off his back, finding herself to impatient to wait for Angelus to comply with her silent demand. Angelus growled lowly in the back of his throat as he felt Buffy's hands run hotly over his chest. He pulled her closer by her hips his hand leaving her pussy much to Buffy's disappointment as she moaned her body arching towards him in search of his missing touch. She wasn't missing it long though as the head of his hard cock pressed against her, causing a fresh wave of her juices to spill from her waiting entrance, her body eager for the feel of him inside her. They groaned in unison against each-others lips as Angelus thrust up inside of her.

Buffy rocked against him as she clung to him eagerly, her hips meeting the fast pace of his hips, the tempo he had set quite ferrous in his all-consuming need for her, to figuratively reclaim her as his after the spell Willow had caste over her had so successfully changed her affections for a few hours. She moaned as Angelus' hands caressed over her body, his hands easily finding the spots that made Buffy wreath and moan at the slightest touch. Their body continued to move together at the frantic pace they had set, both of them desperate for the other to wipe out the memories of that night, to get lost in each other for a few sweet moments of bliss. Buffy whimpered her sheath clenching in need around Angelus' driving cock as his mouth suckled at her neck, the skin reddening under his attention, bruising into a hickey, before he nipped at the sensitive flesh with his blunt human teeth.

Buffy threw her head back a keening moan escaping her as her orgasm overtook her senses, her spasming sheath clenching rhythmically around Angelus' still driving cock, the extra pressure around his sensitive organ throwing Angelus head long into his own orgasm as he continued to mindlessly thrust into Buffy's still spasming sheath prolonging both their pleasure as they slumped tiredly against the bathroom sink, their breaths coming in heavy pants. Buffy was the first to move as she ran her hands mindlessly up and down Angelus' back her eyes closed as she enjoyed the afterglow that had taken over her senses. "That was… wow." She murmured breathily, a fresh shiver running over her as she felt Angelus kiss her neck in response.

A moment later Angelus forced himself to lift his head from Buffy's shoulder, his legs still trembling a little weakly beneath him. "So definitely worth risking not being able to show your face on campus again?"

Buffy laughed a little breathlessly, her arms wrapping around Angelus' neck as he lifted her from the bench and began carrying her from the bathroom. "I think trying to salvage my reputation can wait for tomorrow." She said with a smile as Angelus laid her down on his bed.

"Good, because there are still a few things I intend to do to you, before this night it over." Angelus promised her huskily as he quickly followed her down onto the bed.

Buffy bit her lip as heat bolted through her overly sensitive nerves once again. "Sounds wicked." She murmured, her hazel eyes looking up at the real love of her life hungrily.

Angelus grinned down at her as he settled himself comfortably on top of her, pinning her down to the bed with his superior weight. "You haven't even begun to see wicked yet." He promised her hungrily, his desire growing as his words inspired a heated moan to escape her lips.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy laughed a little nervously as she walked beside Riley under the bright Californian sun, having caught up with him after psychology. "You thought I was serious?" She asked trying to brush it off like it meant nothing.

"Well, no…" Riley tried to effect the same bravado, but failed. "Um… you weren't serious?" He asked hopefully.

Buffy shook her head. "No, oh God no! I'd never marry Spike… I mean a guy name Spike. I'd just had a fight with my boyfriend." She lied uncomfortably. "And I was feeling kinda vengeful."

"So you decided to tell me that you were marrying a guy named Spike?"

"Uh, well… an angry woman isn't necessarily a bright one." Buffy muttered lamely.

"Or a sane one." Riley muttered as he ran a hand through his head, glad that she wasn't getting married, but the tiniest bit peeved that she had taken her upset out on him… but then… that could mean that she was beginning to trust him… maybe…

"Yeah, sanity… kinda slipped my grasp a little last night." Buffy agreed as she looked down at the books she was holding in front of her.

Riley shrugged and gave her a smile. "Well, I guess I just learned another piece of the Buffy puzzle." He said good naturedly, before looking down at his watch and wincing. "Uh, If I don't get don't go finish grading some papers Walsh is going to have my hide." He excused the half lie falling from his lips almost effortlessly, the ingrained training making it easier for the lie to fall from his lips as he turned his gaze back to Buffy who was looking at him with her beautiful wide hazel eyes. "So, I'll see you around?" Buffy nodded and Riley took off at a brisk paced walk.

Buffy sighed with relief glad that that painful experience was over with, before she began walking again. Willow who had been lurking in the background hurried up behind her. "So, how'd it go? Crisis adverted?" She asked as she came abreast of Buffy.

"I think so, unless he decides to tell everyone on campus that I'm a loony… but then I've been there, it wasn't so bad."

"That's great!" Willow exclaimed relieved as she pulled a brown paper bag out of her book bag.

Buffy looked at it suspiciously. "Willow, please tell me that's not…"

Willow held the bag out to her. "Cookies to ease my pain." She offered with a bright smile.

Buffy sighed as she took them, opening up the fold that kept the bag closed. She peered down into the bad to see the large round cookies packed in there. "You're going to make me fat." Buffy admonished without any heat, as she returned her gaze to Willow.

"Impossible." Willow denied. "You'd just punch it off." She said urging her friend to accept them.

Buffy gave Willow a mock searching look before pretending to give in to the pleading eyes the red head was giving her. "On one condition." She said with mock firmness. "You have to eat them with me."

Willow nodded eagerly as they walked together, her hand dipping into the bag after Buffy's to take out a cookie. "Ooh and perhaps later we could pudding with full fat whipped cream with tons of sugar."

"That might take two or three patrols to work off… but totally worth it." Buffy agreed as they turned a corner re-entering the school building.

**A/N:** And that's chapter 9 finally done. I hope you all enjoyed it, as despite the trouble it gave me and the pressure I felt at making this one great as I love this episode and I know quite a few of you do to, I really enjoyed writing this one. Please let me know what you think and I'll definitely try and get the next chapter out faster.


	10. Chapter 10 hush

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of the characters mentioned in the cannon.

**A/N:** A big thank you to those that reviewed last chapter it is greatly appreciated and I'm proud to be getting this chapter out to you so soon :). There is a** smut warning** for this chapter about midway through I suppose. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

**CHAPTER 10**

**Hush**

Buffy walked beside Willow as together they headed towards their afternoon Psychology class. Buffy felt another yawn coming on and immediately raised a hand to cover her mouth just before it overtook her. Willow gave Buffy a look as her petite blond friend lowered her hand back to her books. "Are you sure you didn't stay out all night?" She asked a little sardonically.

"No. I actually got back early. Patrol was a little quiet last night." Buffy informed her as they turned into another hall.

Willow raised an eyebrow at Buffy, not quite sure that she entirely believed Buffy. "So, there was no romantic interlude last night."

"Nope, there was no interluding last night." Buffy murmured, with a soft little sigh. Wishing that he had shown up, it probably would have made her night more interesting.

"Uh-huh." Willow murmured sarcastically as she gave Buffy a disbelieving look.

"We didn't." Buffy insisted as they reached the lecture hall their class was being held in. "I just had a bad night, that's all. Sleep was being kinda elusive." She admitted as they entered the hall. Her hand rising slightly to return the wave that Riley gave her as he glanced over at her as he talked softly with another female student who was holding her notebook up, evidently asking for help. The dark brunette shot Buffy a withering look, not appreciating that Riley could so easily be distracted from her by the blond who already had a boyfriend.

Willow also gave Riley a small wave of greeting, before turning her attention back to Buffy. "Was there any reason for said sleeplessness? A prophetic reason perhaps."

Buffy shook her head. "No, no dreams last night. Just one of those times when sleep likes to play the flirtatious bitch that never closes the deal."

"That mean whore." Willow gasped in mock outrage for her friend.

Buffy smiled as she took her seat, setting her book bag down at her feet, before pulling out her notebook and pen. "Well, I much rather be dealing with a sleepless night than a prophetic dream. Sleeplessness tends to be less dire straits." Willow nodded, but didn't say anything as Professor Walsh walked briskly into the lecture hall.

"Alright class settle down." Walsh ordered unnecessarily, her student's voices having quieted at her entrance. "Class is now begun." She said briskly as she shrugged out of her jacket, before facing the class as she began her lecture for the day.

Buffy wasn't sure how much time had passed as she tried to focus on the lecture Walsh was giving as she fought the tiredness that was pressing in around her, urging her to catch up on the sleep she had missed out on the night before. And then suddenly her tiredness seemed to melt away making it so much easier to be alert. Buffy smiled in relief as she sat up straighter and pressed the tip of her pen to the paper of her open notebook fully intent on trying to catch up on what she had unintentionally missed. "So this is what it is…" Walsh continued her gaze sweeping over her students as she continued to talk. "Talking about communication, talking about language not the same thing." Buffy scribbled hurriedly in her notebook. "It's about the way a child can recognise and produce phonemes that don't occur in its native language."

Buffy glanced over at Willow who was paying rapt attention, very glad that she would be able to grab what she had missed from her best friend after class. "It's about inspiration… not the idea, but the moment before the idea when its total, when it blossoms in your mind and connects to everything, before the coherent thought that gives it shape, that locks it in and cuts it off from the universal. When you articulate it, it becomes smaller. It's about thoughts and experiences that we don't have a word for." She lectured, her gaze searching among her students, before focusing on Buffy. "A demonstration. Buffy Summers." She singled out, raising an arm in her direction. Buffy looked around hoping that there would turn out to be another Buffy Summers in the class sitting somewhere behind her. "Come on down to the front here." Walsh urged, beckoning her down with a small movement of her arm.

Reluctantly Buffy stood from her seat and slowly made her way down the steps, her ears filled with the excited whispers of the students that were both teasing and urging her on. She came to a stop beside Walsh in front of her desk, her hands folded awkwardly in front of her; highly aware of all the eyes that were on her. Waiting expectantly for what she would be told to do. "A typical college girl," Walsh addressed the class. "One assumes." She added as she turned her gaze to Buffy a small smile curving up her lips. "Lie down on my desk." She instructed Buffy.

"What?" Buffy exclaimed surprised, not having expected the demonstration to involve lying down on Walsh's desk!

Walsh's smile turned faintly amused. "Go ahead, you're perfectly safe." She assured Buffy as she gestured for Buffy to walk over to the end of her desk that was facing the closed door to the lecture hall.

"Oh." Buffy muttered a little embarrassed as she heard the sound of her classmates laughter at her hesitation. Walking over to the end of the desk she easily slid up onto the end of the desk, sliding carefully back on the smooth clean surface, before leaning back on her elbows not quiet able to bring herself to lie down complete on the desk. Her predatory instincts telling her that it was a vulnerable position that she didn't want to be in a class full of students that for the most part she didn't really know.

"Riley," Walsh called, turning her attention to her TA who was leaning against the wall, his gaze shifting from Buffy to Walsh, his gaze somewhat disgruntled as he focused his attention on Walsh. "If you could oblige."

Riley straightened up and began walking across the room towards the desk. "A demonstration, right?" He grumbled, his tone tinged with anger.

Walsh smiled amusedly once again as she watched Riley cross in front of her. "Be a good boy." She directed, her gaze following him as he made it over to the desk where Buffy was waiting, her hazel eyes slightly wide as she wondered just what was supposed to happen next, especially when Riley leaned over her in a fashioned that seemed very intimate between to people that were just supposed to be friends. Buffy jumped slightly as one of his hands came to rest on her waist. "This feels very strange." She muttered lowly, her gaze shifting nervously to the class who was watching them intently.

Riley smiled at her softly, his gaze soft. "Don't worry." He assured her. "If I kiss you, it'll make the sun go down." He stated confidently.

Buffy opened her mouth to object as Riley leaned in closer to her as she attempted to lean back further only for a sudden crash of the door breaking down to distract the both of them. Riley moved back from her and her gaze landed on the intruder. "Angelus?" She murmured surprised. Her eyes taking in just how tense and angry he looked as he took in her position on the desk, before his narrowed dark gaze landed on Riley who had moved to stand slightly to the right of her.

"If you want to see, Buffy you'll have to wait til after the class." Riley said firmly his arms crossing over his chest as he stared Angelus down, whom merely sneered as he began stalking into the room ignoring the titters of the students his sudden presence had stirred the students to.

Buffy watched as the distance between Angelus and Riley was steadily eaten away as Riley began moving towards Angelus. She bit her lower lip as she continued to just sit on the desk and watch was about to unfold. Recognising the beginnings of a physical confrontation, it seemed a little odd to her that she felt no need to step between the two, to stop was about to happen… at this moment it felt like the most natural thing in the world to just sit there and watch the outcome. She winced slightly as Angelus landed his first punch to Riley's gut, perfectly able to imagine the kind of pain Riley would have to be feeling in that moment, having been on the receiving end of Angelus' punches. Riley threw his own in return, his punch landing solidly against Angelus' cheek. Buffy shifted back across the desk so that she was once again sitting on the end of the desk her arms coming up to cross over her waist as she watched the two dance around each other, each seemingly taking what appeared to be almost playful jabs at each other as if sizing each other up…

Buffy rolled her eyes as she continued to watch, a part of her wondering why no one else was attempting to rush in and stop her boyfriend from beating up the TA. There was no doubt in her mind that Angelus would win… but Riley was holding his own remarkably well as he remained on his feet no matter how many solid punches and kicks Angelus threw at him. The fight didn't last that much longer though, despite Riley's valiant effort as Angelus knocked Riley out cold with a well-placed punch that sent Riley tumbling backwards as he went crashing towards the ground. Angelus immediately lost interest in Riley as his gaze went to Buffy who raised an eyebrow at him as he stalked towards her, his gait predatory for a whole other reason. He placed his hands on Buffy's knees sliding them up her thighs. Buffy tilted her head up so that she could continue meeting Angelus' gaze.

A delicious shiver running over her as his hands slid up over her hips coming to rest on her sides. Her lips parting expectantly as Angelus dipped down towards her, no longer caring about all the pairs of eyes that were watching her and Angelus as their lips met igniting the passion that seemed to always be simmering just beneath the surface when they were together. Her eyes fell closed as their lips moved against each other, sending sparks of desire through her blood heating it. Their tongues met passionately and Buffy raised a hand to caress over Angelus' cheek as she moaned heatedly. Reluctantly she pulled back as she sensed the lights in the room changing. She looked over at the window that let natural light into the hall during the day to see that the sun quickly disappearing as darkness took over the sky. Turning her gaze from the window to Angelus, who was looking around the classroom, a curious look on his face. Buffy followed his gaze to see the now dark hall completely empty of students, their desks sitting empty as if the classroom had always been that way.

"Fortune favours the brave." She murmured as she finished her surveillance of the room, finding it now completely empty aside from herself and Angelus.

Angelus returned his gaze from the room to Buffy, his hands tightening slightly about her sides, drawing Buffy's gaze from the room to him. "How about we continue where we left off?" He murmured huskily in her ear. His head dipping lower to place soft kisses on the slender column of her neck, paying particular attention to the thudding pulse in her neck. Buffy leaned into him enjoying the sensations his mouth on her neck were creating inside of her. She pulled back after a short moment as she swore she heard something beyond the wet sounds of Angelus' mouth working on her neck. "Do you…" Buffy trailed off as Angelus pulled her back against him, his mouth trailing over her neck once again. Shaking herself Buffy pushed him away with a great deal of effort. "Stop it!" She hissed urgently as Angelus attempted to pull her closer once again, causing Angelus to groan in disappointment, but he stilled all the same as he pricked his own ears for any strange sounds that would distract Buffy from the pleasure he had been giving her. "Do you hear that?" She asked.

Buffy slid off the desk as Angelus stepped back a little as he took note of the sound that sounded very much like a young girl humming a tune. Buffy turned her gaze to the door that Angelus had broken down in his urgency to get into the room and began walking towards it, believing that the sound was coming from somewhere beyond the door. Angelus followed closely behind her as she walked out the door and started down the hall. A short moment later Buffy stopped as her eyes landed on a young blond girl that was standing at the end of the hall a small ornate box cupped in her hands, that she was holding up in front of her.

The girls hum became a rhyme as she stared intently at Buffy, her voice rising and echoing back to her. "Can't even shout, can't even cry. The gentlemen are coming by. Looking in windows, knocking on doors, they need to take seven and they might take yours. Can't call to mom, can't say a word. You're gonna die screaming, but you won't be heard." Buffy frowned as the rhyme ended, the words settling a disturbing feeling in the pit of her stomach. She felt Angelus touch her arm gently and immediately she turned to look at him, wanting to ask him if he understood what the rhyme meant, only to jump a scream of surprise building in her throat as she was greeted by a horrifying pasty smiling face. It had sharp fang like teeth filling its mouth, revealed entirely by its wide open mouthed smile, the tall demon wearing a snappy black suit that seemed to give it an air of elegance that its face didn't match.

Buffy jerked away, her heart thundering uncomfortably against her ribcage as she looked around the room, somewhat surprised to see the sun brightly shining in through the window and Riley still leaning against the wall completely unharmed by the fight with Angelus; Angelus nowhere in sight and the classroom still bustling with students. "So, I'll see you all Monday for a final review session." Walsh dismissed the class just as Buffy came to the conclusion that she had been dreaming.

Willow glanced over at Buffy as they began putting their books away. "Boy that was an exciting class, huh?" She stated, fighting to keep the amusement out of her voice and not quiet fully succeeding.

"Oh, yeah wow." Buffy muttered uncomfortably as she stood, swinging the strap of her bag up onto her shoulder.

"And the last 20 minutes was a revelation." Willow teased. "Just laid out everything we need to know for the final. I'd hate to have missed that."

"Just tell me I didn't drool." Buffy pleaded, realizing that Willow most definitely knew that she had fallen asleep during the class.

"You were very discreet." Willow assured her as they exited the lecture hall. "Minimal drool."

"Oh yay." Buffy said in relief as they rounded a corner.

"So, were you dreaming?" Willow asked curiously.

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, it was kind of intense…" She began as they passed Riley who was standing in the hall talking to the same brunette as before, accidentally catching a part of their conversation. Quickly excusing himself much to the girls' disappointment, he hurried after the two. "Intense? Really?" He asked as he caught up with them, falling into step beside Buffy. "'Cause you seemed so peaceful."

Buffy flushed with embarrassment partly because of the dream and partly because someone else had noticed that she had been tired enough to fall asleep during class. "Of course, it was only for a moment." She muttered.

"Right." Riley murmured amusedly, before changing the subject as they reached a turn off point of the hall they were walking down. "Hey, you guys headed over towards Kresge?" He asked hopefully.

"Uh, student centre." Buffy corrected.

"Great." Riley exclaimed, quickly changing where he'd been going to be able to spend more time with her. His eyes going hopefully to Willow trying to silent convey what he wanted to the red head. "So, this dream…" He began curiously.

Willow slowed in her steps reading the look Riley had given her and was more than willing to oblige. "You know," She murmured gaining both their attention. "You guys go, I'm gonna do the thing." She excused lamely studiously avoiding Buffy's gaze as she frowned as she wondered what the thing was… "I'll see you after Wicca group, Buffy." She excused before moving to head off.

"Kay." Buffy muttered still confused even as the notion hit her that Willow was trying to set her up with the Psychology TA.

"Bye." Riley called after the red head happily, glad that she had understood his silent message, before turning his gaze back to Buffy who gave him a small smile, before starting to walk again as she began imagining all the ways she would kill Willow when she saw her after her Wicca group. "So, tell me about your dream." Riley urged.

Unable to help herself Willow only took two steps before looking back after Buffy and Riley's retreating forms. She hurried down a hallway that had windows cut into the sides so that students and teachers alike could see out into the open grass area where students could eat lunch, unable to keep herself from wanting to eavesdrop on the two, wanting to know how well it went.

"As a psyche major I'm qualified to go 'hmmm'." Riley continued trying to prod the information out of her, naively hoping that she had been dreaming about him in a good light… a light that may prod her into looking at him as a possible dating prospect over her current boyfriend.

Buffy shrugged. "I don't really remember it." She said evasively, not wanting to get into the strangeness of her dream with Riley.

"Well, did I appear at all in the dream?" He asked, his prodding getting less subtle.

"Uh… I don't think so." Buffy denied evasively once again.

"Oh." Riley muttered disappointedly as Willow raised her notebooks to hide her face from view, hoping to avoid being recognised by the two. Riley forced himself to solider on, reminding himself that it had been a slim chance that her dream would involve him in any way. "So what have you go going for tonight?" He asked changing the subject once again.

"Oh, patrolling." Buffy answered automatically without thinking it through completely.

"Patrolling?" Riley asked surprised, that not having been the answer he'd been expecting.

"Eh, petroleum." Buffy said hurriedly, picking the first word that jumped into her head that sounded at least a bit like 'patrolling'.

"Petroleum?" Riley questioned again, growing even more confused.

"Uh-huh." Buffy confirmed, as she tried to think of something that would explain why she would be hanging with petroleum on her Friday night.

"Tonight you have crude oil." Riley murmured, trying to understand and hoping that she would explain it to him.

"And homework." Buffy tacked on, deciding it was safer to just ignore the whole petroleum thing entirely. "What about you?" She asked, hoping that it would successfully change the subject from her major slip up that had gone from bad to awkward.

"Oh," Riley fumbled awkwardly. "You know grading papers." He lied, wishing that he didn't have to. Perhaps if she knew what he was involved in she wouldn't be so quick to dismiss him… perhaps even give him a chance.

"Ah, that'll be fun." Buffy murmured, shifting on her feet as she tried to come up with a not rude way of making a quick escape.

"Not petroleum fun, but it passes the time." He attempted to tease her.

Buffy shifted again, feeling a slight heat fill her cheeks as she was once again reminded of her slip… a slip that should not have happened so easy. Her head was still too full with rhyme and demon in her dream… the ugly freaky one… not the hot one she called boyfriend… "So I uh…" Buffy trailed off as she realized the weirdness behind Riley's plans for the night. "What papers?"

"Papers?" Riley questioned, his mind having already moved on from the lie he had so easily told.

"Um, grading, what papers? We only have the final." Buffy explained a small frown darkening her brow as she tried to think of what papers he could still have left to grade as she'd received all hers back.

"Oh, yeah." Riley floundered again, realizing that he had been caught out in his lie. "Uh… um, I…" He stuttered as he tried to think of something that sounded like it could be plausible. "Late, late papers I gotta look at." He finally got out.

"Oh," Buffy said doubtfully, not sure that she believed him… but then… what reason did he have to lie. She was the one that had to watch everything she said to make sure that her extra-curricular activities didn't become known. "Ok. Well, I guess I'll see you in class."

"Uh, yeah." Riley muttered, feeling a little disheartened by the lack of progress he was making. Turning away Riley began to walk away from Buffy, heading towards his original destination. He really wasn't sure what had gotten into him; sure he liked the girl, liked her a lot, but she was taken and he'd never thought that he'd go after another man's girl… but she was… different. Unlike any woman he had ever met before… Riley sighed as he paused looking behind him to see Buffy heading on her way. Willow said that she wasn't happy with Angelus… that he was no good for her… so he had to keep trying. Had to see if there was a chance that she might like him more than that Angelus character one day.

Riley sighed again and began one his way once again. He just had to be patient, if he did there was a good chance that Buffy would dump her boyfriend and then there would be room for him to step in. After all they had just recently had a good fight that had apparently hurt her pretty badly. So there was a chance that he could have a shot with her. From her spot she had been doing her best to hide in Willow sighed deeply completely disappointed in the way things had turned out. It hadn't gone anything like she had been hoping. Lowering her notebooks from her face Willow turned away from her failed attempt at matchmaking. It seemed to her that Buffy was determined to remain clueless about Riley's feeling for her. _'If only she would look past Angelus!'_ Willow thought a little bitterly. After everything he had put all of them through she found it hard to believe that Buffy could trust him… could love him… and yet… Willow paused in her steps as a small pinch of guilt hit her. Perhaps she shouldn't be going behind Buffy's back trying to set her up with Riley… but she was so certain that Angelus would end up hurting her again… all she wanted was for Buffy to have a chance with someone normal… someone who would take delight in hurting her!

Willow bit her lip as she unbidden she remembered just how caring and careful Angelus had been with Buffy those times she hadn't been herself. How he'd made sure she hadn't hurt anyone when she'd been mostly soulless and the way he had held her when she'd drunk bad beer, allowing her to climb on him and draw on his walls with charcoal… Willow shook her head trying to clear the images. She was right! She knew she was!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles sat at his small desk, a pen in hand as he wrote on a pad as he nodded as he listened to Buffy who was reciting the most important part of her dream; the part that seemed prophetic, the rest she didn't really think that he needed to know. "Can't even shout, can't even cry." Giles repeated back to her as he recited from what he had written. "The gentlemen are coming by." Giles scratched thoughtfully at his head as he underlined the words for emphasis. "Um, it sounds vaguely familiar." He admitted, though for the life of him he couldn't remember where he had heard it before. "You're sure it's… nothing you hear when you were a child?" He asked as he got up from the chair, nodding as he listened carefully to Buffy's response.

"Oh, alright." He murmured resignedly, realizing that he wasn't going to be getting any further help from her. "And the girl was holding a box, nothing else?" He inquired, feeling hopeful that she might have left something out that might give him a clue as to where he could start looking, not wanting to have to spend too much time with it. Normally he wouldn't care, in fact he'd be thrilled to be involved… but for the first time in a long time he actually had plans and he wanted to enjoy himself, not spend the evening worrying that he should be looking up just what Buffy had seen in her dreams… if indeed it was prophetic. "Well, I-it could definitely be one of your prophetic dreams." He allowed as he took off his glasses. "Or it could just be the eternal mystery that is your brain." He teased, earning a quipping remark from his Slayer. "But I-I'll check it out and um, I'll let you know if I find something." He assured her, listening again as Buffy thanked him. "Alright. Bye, bye." He said, before replacing his corded phone back in its cradle where it rested on the wall. He stared down at what he had written, the words still striking a familiar cord in him, but what was still eluding him. He scratched at his head again a frown of concentration pulling down his brow. "Have you ever heard of a group called the gentlemen?" He asked Spike who was noisily walking around his kitchen chewing on something that he had found there as he searched for what he was looking for.

"Group of what?" Spike asked distractedly as he continued to search for another box of wheat-a-bits to replace the box he'd just finished off.

"The Gentlemen." Giles repeated as he seated himself back down at his desk, gazing down at the words, trying to put the pieces together and growing more frustrated as the answer continued to elude him.

"Dunno." Spike said with a shrug as he opened up a cupboard looking inside it.

Giles tapped his fingers against the words on the page. "You certain?"

"No." Spike muttered unconcerned with Giles problems, not caring in the slightest about what troubles the white hats where having. In fact he'd love it if they all ended up dead. "We're out of wheat-a-bits." He informed Giles, far more concerned about what he wanted to put in his stomach as he came out of the kitchen with a box of wheat crackers and a jar of crunchy peanut butter clutched in his hands.

Giles drew off his glass in frustration. "We are out of wheat-a-bits because you ate them all… again." He grouched as he cleaned the lenses, hoping that the familiar soothing motion would help jog some memory of why the rhyme was so familiar to him.

"Get some more." Spike demanded as he sat himself down on Giles double seater couch.

"I thought vampires were supposed to eat blood." Giles complained as he slid his glassed back on over his nose.

Spike shrugged. "Yep. Well sometimes I like to crumble up the wheat-a-bits in the blood. Give it a little texture." He informed Giles glancing over his shoulder at him, in the hopes of having gotten a reaction from the stuffy ex-Watcher, before lying down on the couch, his chosen food stuffs in hand as he began to eat once again. Despite how much pain and agony he had put his body through during the first year of his existence by continuing to eat human food, he'd never given up eating it. Having enjoyed all the different ways that he could add it to the blood, creating different sensations and now he could eat it without any trouble his body having learned to cope with the solid food he gave it.

Giles swallowed back the bile that had risen in his throat in response to Spike's words, the imagery almost overwhelming him. "Since the picture you just painted means I will never touch food of any kind again. You'll just have to pick it up yourself." He said firmly, finding himself glad to have an excuse to not have to make another trip to the market just for the annoying peroxide vampire that seemed intent on eating him out of house and home despite the fact that he wasn't supposed to eat at all.

"Sissy." Spike goaded from his relaxed position on the couch, already mentally planning all the ways that he would torment his fellow Englishman until he caved and went and bought him some more. Having no intention of going himself to get them, not when he could have Giles do it for him.

*****B/A***B/A*****

The tenant that live across from Giles condo looked up from her mail as she heard the high pitched sound of an upset woman's voice and a moment later she saw a young man who looked uncomfortable and a young woman following behind. Staring at them for only a brief moment, before she hurried into her condo not wanting to be nosey and deliberately eavesdrop on another couples pain. Xander walked through the courtyard heading towards Giles condo. "I don't get where this is coming from." He grumbled anxiously, not sure he was really understanding what she wanted him to say. What she wanted him to do.

Anya glared at his back as she followed after him. "Well, what am I supposed to think?" She demanded of him, her voice slightly irate as she felt her heart palpitating painfully in her chest as his reactions did nothing to ease her mind.

"Well, how could you say I'm 'using you'?" Xander asked, seriously confused. He wasn't sure what it was that he had done. He'd thought that things were going well between them.

Anya frowned at him hurt that he had to ask. "You don't care about what I think, you don't ask about my day…"

Xander couldn't help his amusement as he began to understand. "You really did turn into a real girl, didn't you?" He joked, unintentionally hurting Anya further.

"See?!" She declared accusingly. "And you make jokes during my pain. You don't care about me at all." Anya cried despondently, hating the way she was feeling in this moment. If there was one thing that she had not missed after becoming a demon, it was this vulnerable feeling that left one feeling so raw and vulnerable.

"I care about you." Xander told her truthfully, trying to sooth her. Not having meant to hurt her with his comment.

Anya looked at him slightly hopeful. "How much?" She prodded. Xander looked at her uncomfortably as he paused in his steps as they were coming up on Giles front door and the last thing he wanted was to be having the awkward conversation in front of Giles and his unwelcome house guest. His mind searching for an answer that wouldn't leave him feeling completely emasculated. "What do I mean to you?" Anya rephrased, impatient and anxious for an answer.

"Well I…" Xander stuttered as he swallowed thickly past the lump in his throat. "We, you know, we spend…" He struggled a blush colouring his cheeks. "We'll talk about it later." He evaded, before quickly turning back towards the door and disappearing inside.

Anya frowned and quickly followed after him, not in the least bit done with the conversation. "Well, I think we should talk about it now." She informed him sternly as she stepped through Giles doorway.

Giles rubbed his eyes, his fingers under the lenses of his glasses. "Thank you for knocking." He muttered sardonically.

His pointed words ignored by both his unexpected guests as Xander turned to face Anya, feeling slightly annoyed know. "If you don't know how I feel about…"

Anya cut him off, her arms crossed protectively under her breasts as she stared at her lover. "I don't. This isn't a relationship you don't need me, all you care about it lots of orgasms." She declared, her voice strained from her effort to keep herself from crying.

Spike who's attention had been caught completely by the last word sat up on the couch looking at Xander and Anya a biscuit in his between his lips, whilst Giles took off his glasses busying himself with cleaning them as he attempted to wipe what he had heard from his memory as he avoided looking in the young couples direction. Xander's face flushed scarlet, before he turned to face Anya once again. "Ok…" He said slowly as he tried his best to keep calm. "Remember how we talked about private conversations? And how they're less private when they're in front of my friends?" He asked, his face still flushing hotly as he could feel Spike's eyes boring into his back.

"Oh, we're not friends. Go on." Spike said bluntly, more than wanting the entertainment to continue. The ex-Watcher not being all that interesting especially after spending as much time with the man as he'd been forced to.

"Please don't." Giles pleaded, the last thing he wanted was to have his ears ringing with details of Xander's sex life.

Anya frowned at Giles, not appreciating his input into the situation. "This is important."

"But why is it here?" Giles asked, certain that if he had to listen to anymore, which he was sure that he would be forced to if the arguing couple stayed for much longer that he would get more than a small earful of information that would make his ears bleed.

Xander turned his attention back to Giles, glad that for the moment the conversation had turned from his private life. "Mom said that you wanted me to swing by." He stated, surprised as much as he was relieved, sure that he'd heard his mother right.

"Oh, oh yes." Giles muttered, silently cursing himself for not being more clear with Mrs Harris when he'd been on the phone with her, but the argument that had been going on between her and her spouse during their conversation had only made him want to get off the phone as soon as possible; being privy to the obviously private argument between the two. "Well, I meant, uh after sunset." Giles stood up from his desk chair, moving around to be able to lean against his desk. "Um, I need you to take, Spike for a few days." He informed Xander, making it a statement instead of a question knowing that if he made it optional he'd get nowhere. None of those that could take Spike off his hands would take him if they had a choice in the matter. The peroxide vampire not being the most popular person amongst the group.

"What?!" Xander exclaimed.

"What?!" Spike growled, his eyes wide as he looked at the back of Giles head, before turning it to the kid that he was trying to foster him off on.

"What?!" Anya demanded to know with an angry glower as her plans for her evening with Xander started to slip from her grasp.

Spike jumped up from the couch. "I'm not staying with him!" He declared, pointing an accusatory finger at Xander like it was all his fault that this was happening.

Giles crossed his arms determinedly over his chest, determined to not budge on this matter. "I have a friend who's coming to town and I'd like us to be alone." He explained, hoping to guilt Xander into agreeing as he desperately needed Spike to be elsewhere when his friend got here tonight.

"Oh, you mean an orgasm friend." Anya deduced, quiet pleased with herself that she had so easily put it all together.

Giles looked at Anya appalled. "Yes, that's exactly the most appalling thing you could have said." He reprimanded. Anya just gave him a look that clearly said 'what? I was just spoke the truth'.

"Worse than the blood in the wheat-a-bits?" Spike asked unable to keep himself from further tormenting the ex-Watcher. Giles sighed and sank back down into his desk chair, feeling rather defeated at the moment as he listened to the uproar he had created.

"He's not roaming around. If he stays with me he gets tied up again." Xander declared firmly, unwilling to take custody of the vampire any other way.

Anya looked at Xander annoyed at him all over again. "What about us?" She asked him shocked that he'd even think of having Spike over when they were supposed to be spending time together. "Our romantic evening?" She demanded hotly, wanting him to just flat out deny Giles request. Giles had him, he could just well keep him! His love life wasn't near as exciting as her own and her need was far greater than his at the moment. She needed to get to the bottom about how Xander felt about her! Giles needs couldn't possibly top that!

Spike felt what he'd just eaten threaten to make a second appearance as he turned accusing eyes on Giles, who was slumped in his chair seemingly not paying attention to all their arguments. "I am not having these two shag while I'm tied to a chair three feet away!" He growled agitatedly, there was no way that he ever wanted to see that boy naked!

Xander glared angrily at Spike immediately retaliating vehemently. "That's not exactly one of my fantasies either."

Anya placed her hands on her hips as she openly glared at Xander more than just a little hurt now, that he could so easily blow her off for something as so insignificant as Spike! Any of the others could look after him for a few days! Why'd it have to be them? "So you're blowing me our evening. Because you don't care about me."

Xander almost howled in frustration, his day just getting worse the longer he stood in Giles condo. "I don't want him to come over! Talk to the Brit!" He grumbled, shooting a glare at the Brit in question.

"And he better have cable!" Spike talked at Giles who was merrily not paying attention to him as he continued to just sit slumped in his chair waiting for everything to sort itself out. "'Cause I'm not missing Passions!" He declared vehemently.

Giles sighed again as he continued to wait for the noise to die down as all three continued to talk over each other as they tried to argue their point. His annoyance growing as they carried on around him, completely ignoring the fact that this was one of the few times that he needed something of them! Getting to his feet, his hands clenched into white knuckled fists. "Enough!" He growled, that one word silencing the entire room. "I need some time alone with my friend so Spike is staying a few days at Xander's and that is final. End of discussion." Everyone in the room looked at him in shocked silence as he breathed hard, catching his breath as he quickly calmed after his outburst. "Now please kindly leave my home until it's time to pick up, Spike."

For a moment his apartment was deadly quiet as everyone just continued to stare at him shocked. Anya was the first to come back to life, stamping her foot as she glared around the room annoyed by the entire situation. "Xander how could you, you jerk!" She cried, before she spun on her heel and stormed out of the condo.

Xander came alive next as he hurried after Anya. "Anya wait!" He called after her as he hurried out the door.

Spike looked at Giles with a small amount of respect. "Wow, way to let the Ripper loose. You might actually be fun if you let that guy out more often." He complimented, before taking his seat once again.

"Yes, thank you for that." Giles grumbled, before he slowly made his way into his kitchen, flicking on the kettle as he did so; feeling the need for the calming effect of his favourite tea.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow sat in a student lounge in a circle with thirteen other women looking around her Wicca group as she listened to Nicole the unofficial leader of the group spoke in a dreamy tone that Willow thought she believed must be what Wiccan's sound like. Her hands intertwined with the two women she was sitting next to in the rough circle they had formed. "We come together, daughters of Gaia, sisters to the moon." She chanted in that dreamy tone that was really beginning to grate on Willow's nerves the more she heard it. Maybe it wouldn't bother her so much if what Nicole was saying wasn't complete and utter garbage! "We walk with the darkness, the wolf at our side through the waterfall of power to the blackest heart of eternity." Nicole opened her eyes a smile curling up her lips as she looked around at the members of her group as she released the hands of her neighbours the chant finished. "I think we should have a bake sale." She suggested excitedly, her voice now completely normal.

Cheryl bit her lower lip reluctantly. "I don't know." She disagreed, her talents not lying in baking. Plus it just seemed so… unoriginal to her.

Nicole cut across whatever Cheryl was about to say not wanting to hear anything negative about her idea. "You guys like a bake sale, right?" She asked, addressing the whole group who began nodding their agreement almost immediately, except for Willow and another blond girl who sat nervously hunched down on the floor in between a couch and a chair, her gaze settling on Willow who was sitting as quietly as she was. "I mean we need money for the dance recital and you know, I do an empowering lemon bundt." She enticed with a winning smile.

"The most important thing is the Gaia newsletter." Cheryl spoke up, abandoning her disagreement with the bake sale after seeing that she was outnumbered. "We need to get the message of blessing out to the sisters." She spoke earning approving nods from the other sisters. "Also, who left their scented candles dripping all over my woman-power shrine?" She asked looking around at her fellow sisters, looking for someone to own up.

"Well, this is good." Willow spoke up a little hesitantly, noticing how Cheryl's eyes had landed on her triumphantly for a moment, before she looked away from her obviously realizing that she wasn't about to own up to putting wax all over her shrine. "This is all fun… a bake sale, some baked goods there…" She babbled slightly as she looked nervously around the group as all eyes were on her. "But there's also other stuff… that we might show interest in… as a Wicca group."

"Like what?" Nicole asked dubiously, wondering what a newbie who didn't even attend all their meetings could possibly have to add.

"Well, there's the wacky notion of spells…" She suggested, trailing off at the looks she got from the others, completely missing the interested look she got from the quietest member of the group.

"Well, you missed last week, we did a healing chant for Chloe's ankle." Cheryl said with a slight shrug. "She said the swelling went right down."

Nicole shook her head derisively. "What is she doing on a mountain bike anyway?"

Cheryl shrugged again. "She was trying to impress Justin." She muttered as if the answer should be obvious.

"I was actually talking more about real spells." Willow interjected, not wanting to let her courage to speak up slip away whilst they were talking about completely unrelated things. "You know: conjuring, transmutation…"

Cheryl laughed along with the rest of the group. "Oh yea, and then we can all get on our broomsticks and ride around on our broomsticks!"

Nicole frowned at Willow. "You know, certain stereotypes are not very empowering…"

Tara swallowed thickly as she worked up the courage to try to speak amongst the group that had so many outspoken people in it. "I think that…" She tried only to be cut off as if her voice didn't exist in the group.

"Ones energy can suck the power right out of the circle, no offense." Cheryl said firmly, her expression saying that she didn't care if she did cause offense or not.

"No, no," Willow said hurriedly. "My energies always very…" She trailed off taken aback by all the doubtful looks she was getting from the group. "You really don't do any spells?" She asked, feeling really rather let down as the girls just looked at each other, all obviously wondering just who she thought she was.

"Well, mmmmmaybe…" The timid blond attempted to speak up once again, this time earning the attention of Cheryl who looked at her impatiently.

"Yeah? Tara?" Cheryl asked, glancing around at the girls that were still giggling and talking amongst each other. "Guys quiet. You have a suggestion?"

Tara glanced around at the group feeling suddenly more uncomfortable than before with all the eyes on her. Not used to having so much attention on her and her courage failed her a she just shook her head with an awkward smile as she looked down before glancing over at Willow once again. Wishing that she had had the same courage to speak up as the pretty red head.

Cheryl immediately turned her attention away from Tara, a smile curling up her lips as she addressed the group once again. "Ok, then let's talk about the theme for the bacchanal."

Willow sighed feeling completely defeated as she continued to sit amongst the group, despite not being interested in being there anymore. Completely unaware of the curious gaze that was focused on her.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"So, not stellar, huh?" Buffy questioned as she walked down the hall with Willow as they headed back towards their dorm room.

"Talk all talk." Willow muttered miserably. "Blah blah Gaia, blah blah moon, menstrual life force power…" She mocked them. "I thought after a few sessions we'd get into something real, but…"

"No actual witches in your witch group." Buffy murmured with sympathy.

"No, bunch of wanna blessed bees." Willow sniped disappointedly. "You know nowadays every girl with a henna tattoo and a spice rack thinks she's a sister to the dark ones." She bemoaned, resentful of all the fodder she had to search through in an attempt to find something real… and there seemed to be more fakes than anything else.

Buffy pushed open the door to their dorm room and stepped inside. "Sorry it was a bust. I know you were looking to go further in that department." She sympathized as she walked over to her bed, sitting down on the edge of it.

"I'd just like to float something bigger than a pencil someday." Willow muttered as she sat down on her own bed across from Buffy. "But anyway, what about you? How'd the rest of your day go, anything interesting happen?" She asked.

Buffy shrugged. "Not really, did what I had to at the student centre, then I went to the library for some study." She summarized with a small shrug. "But now that I'm thinking about it, there was something that I wanted to talk to you about."

Willow looked at Buffy excitedly jumping up off her bed and came to sit beside Buffy. "Ooh, what happened? I need my vicarious thrills."

"Well, don't get too excited. It's not all that thrilling." Buffy warned her, causing Willow to pout. "It just so happened, that as a red headed best friend that I know and love ran off to go do a thing… it occurred to me that she was trying to play matchmaker." Buffy murmured with an accusingly pointed look at her red headed friend that was suddenly looking sheepish and uncomfortable on the bed.

"Ok, maybe I was!" Willow admitted. "But I was only doing for you." She assured Buffy.

Buffy gave Willow a look. "Will, I have a boyfriend. Tall, dark, has a slight fang problem." She said sarcastically.

"More than a slight fang problem." Willow muttered, unable to help herself. "I just want you to be happy and have a shot at a relationship that might actually work." She pleaded for Buffy's understand, realizing almost instantly that she had chosen the wrong words as Buffy's face froze.

Buffy blinked after a moment as she took a deep breath, Willow's words sinking into her brain. "I see…" She murmured slowly. "Well, as much as I appreciate your concern over my happiness… I am happy, Willow. I haven't been this happy in a long time!" Buffy stood up off the bed and took a few steps away as Willow looked up at her helplessly from where she sat on the bed. "And I would appreciate it if you stopped trying to set me up with Riley. There is no way in hell that I'd ever be interested in starting a relationship with a guy that I'd have to lie to every step of the way. Plus… he seems kinda like a snooze-fest fun wise." Buffy tacked on in her anger. She paused taking a breath in an attempt to calm herself down. "I'm gonna go visit my 'boyfriend'" She emphasised the word pointedly. "For a while. I'll be back later." She informed Willow dismissively, before she turned and stormed out of the door she had just walked through mere moments ago.

Willow sighed as she looked at the closed door that her friend had just walked through. "That did not come out right." She muttered, guilt beginning to eat at her insides as she sat alone in the now completely silent room. Getting up off Buffy's bed, she looked around aimlessly for a moment, before walking over to her desk, hoping that studying would keep her mind off the guilt that was wriggling around in her stomach.

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Buffy walked out of the campus building as the sunset lit up the sky with bright gold's pink's and purples. She sighed as she began walking in the direction of the Crawford street mansion. She hadn't wanted to go off to Angelus' like this… she hadn't wanted to ask what she wanted to ask him when she was feeling upset. She'd wanted to be happy or at least only mildly nervous. It was the question that had had her up all night the night before. She hadn't been able to help running over different scenarios of how she would bring up the question… it was such a simple question and yet… it meant so much to her… at least his reaction to the question did. Buffy gave her head a shake, she was just being stupid! Why would Angelus react badly to her question? It wasn't like she intended to ask for much… she just… she just wanted a drawer… that was reasonable, right? It'd save her a fair bit of time if she could get dressed for Uni there if she ended up staying the night, instead of having to rush back to get into fresh clothes before she could head off to class.

Buffy took a deep breath, her hands trembling at her sides; trembling from her anger that was swiftly soothing down to annoyance at Willow for assuming that she could decide who was best for her to be with… the tremble couldn't have anything to do with her question… "Come on, Buffy. It's just a question. The worst that can happen is that he'll say no." She whispered to herself as she crossed the road. Her mind jumped back to Willow and she sighed again… the red heads words running back through her mind unbidden. She supposed that perhaps she shouldn't have gotten so angry… the words had hurt and made her feel betrayed by her best friend, but she could understand where Willow's feelings came from… but she had thought that Willow understood. That she more than her other friends understood how she felt about Angelus… how happy she was… how elated that made her feel… how nervous and scared… but it all felt good… it felt good to feel something that wasn't pain in her heart.

But Angelus had spent more time hurting all of them, not just her than he had been looking out for her… wanting her… wanting to be hers. Despite her understanding it still hurt, after thinking that she had at least support from Willow… it turned out that she didn't as Willow was busy trying to set her up with Riley… and ok he was cute… and sometimes funny… but nothing about him set her on fire with excitement… there was nothing about him that made her feel like Angelus did. Riley was rarely on her mind… in fact the only time she really ever thought about him… was when she saw him…

Buffy gave herself another mental shake, Riley was the least of her problems and so was Willow's misguided matchmaking attempts… what was at this moment more important was figuring out how to word her question to Angelus in such a way that she didn't feel vulnerable… or stupid. Buffy sighed once again, as she began once again running through different ways she could approach the subject, but everything she thought of still had her heart beating a little uncomfortably in her chest. Buffy wiped her hands against her pants, trying to get rid of the sweat that was building up there. She was nervous, a nervousness that grew with each and every step she took towards Angelus' mansion. Buffy hesitated in her steps coming to a stop along the paved path as a sudden thought hit her; what if he wasn't home?

She lingered there for a moment, looking back the way she had come. Considering whether or not she should go back to her apartment, looking back the way she had come where Willow would no doubt be. Shaking her head at herself Buffy began walking again, continuing on her way. _'Stop being such a scaredy cat.'_ She mentally scolded herself. She'd never been one to back down from anything, let alone from something as simple as a question! And she wasn't about to start now. All she had to do was go to the mansion and if he wasn't there… well she could wait for him or try again another time. _'Maybe I should think about investing in a phone, or maybe a beeper?'_ She thought idly, the idea appealing to her as she pondered over the benefits it would have.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Riley followed Forrest down a ladder down onto a platform that overlooked a very tall demon in a blue robe with very long horns ascending out of its head along with a member of The Initiative who was carrying one of their specially designed weapons for protection as the lab-techs moved about the platform going about their jobs. The both of them ignored what was going on down on the platform as they continued on their way. "Well, then give up on the girl." Forrest suggested, feeling exasperated with the conversation. It seemed to him that all Riley ever talked about was Buffy. He liked talking about woman as much as the next red blooded man, but all Riley was doing was whining and moaning over the girl… a girl who didn't even seem interested in him.

"Yeah, ok. I know that's probably the logical thing to do," Riley agreed reluctantly.

"Exactly." Forrest exclaimed, hoping the conversation would end soon, wanting to talk about something… anything other than Buffy.

"But," Riley said, causing Forrest to roll his eyes a groan of frustrated annoyance building up in his throat. "I just can't stop thinking about her. She's on my mind all the time. Buffy's just so exciting… like no woman I've ever met before."

Forrest groaned stopping in his tracks. "Oh, 'you can't stop thinking about her and she's exciting' wow. The first 486 times you told me, it didn't sink in, but now I 'see' you think she's all that and more." He said mockingly.

Riley looked at his friend apologetically. "Sorry, I guess I've been talking about her a lot, huh." He apologised sheepishly.

"Oh, not at all." Forrest said sarcastically. "Only all shift so far."

"Sorry man. I don't mean to." Riley apologised again. Forrest nodded satisfied that he had successfully brought the conversation to a close and he went to continue on, the both of them needing to get where they were going. "It's just," Riley began again unable to help himself as he moved a step after Forrest only to have to stop again as Forrest came to a sudden stop his head titling back in obvious annoyance as he rolled his eyes at the ceiling. "I want her to notice me, like I notice her."

Forrest bit his lower lip silently praying for the patience to get through this shift, before he turned around to face his friend. "Then, make your next overture less subtle. Be glaringly obvious… Take the girl and kiss her until she can't stand on her own."

"But, she has a boyfriend." Riley said almost sulkily.

Forrest almost stomped his foot childishly as his frustration grew. "Do you want the girl or not?!" He asked frustrated.

"Well…" Riley said uncomfortably. "Yeah."

"Right. Well, if you want to pry her away from her tall, dark boyfriend. Go all out, pull out all the stops. If you're not willing to do that, then you'd better just put her in your spank bank and move on because you'll never pry her away from the tall, dark and handsome I've seen her wandering around the campus with, being all cuddly." Having said that Forrest considered the matter closed and began walking once again. "God, this is going to be a long night." He muttered with a small shake of his head as he began to descend down another ladder.

Riley hesitated a moment as his mind whirled with the information he'd been given, before he forced himself to follow after Forrest again, knowing that Walsh would tear them a new one if they were late.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy pushed aside the thick curtain that covered the side entrance of the Crawford Street mansion. She walked into the large familiar room not taking all that much notice of it as she smiled slightly as she could feel Angelus close by. Quickly moving through the room she made her way over to the entrance of the atrium, she leaned against the door her small smile getting bigger as she watched Angelus as he looked up at the darkening sky as the setting sun slowly got lower in the sky, the bright pinks, purples and gold's occupying less of the sky. Angelus turned away from the sky a smile curling up his own lips as his gaze landed on Buffy. "Hey." She greeted as she straightened up from the doorframe, before she walked out into the growing night to stand in front of him.

"Hey, what's going on?" Angelus asked curiously, not having expected to see her tonight.

Buffy swallowed as she looked up at him, all the words she had been practising, that had sounded so fluid and natural in her head, sticking in her throat. "Well, I actually…" Buffy floundered as she tried to come up with the words. "I wanted to see you, before I went to bed." She murmured softly, changing her mind about asking him about perhaps giving her a drawer.

Angelus raised an eyebrow at her. "It's barely 8:30 on a Friday night."

"Uh, right. Well, I meant before I went on patrol." Buffy corrected herself. "And now that I've seen you I should probably get going." She attempted to excuse herself, leaning up on her tiptoes she pressed what was supposed to be a swift affectionate kiss to Angelus' lips, only for his hands to settle on her sides holding her in place as he deepened the kiss for a long moment before pulling back to look at her.

"You're lying." He stated as he searched her expressive face, the way her heart beat in her chest all indicators of her lie.

Buffy winced mentally cursing his keen senses as she pulled away from him, forcing him to release her. "I should get going."

Angelus took a step towards her, closing the distance that she had put between them. "So, you came all the way here just to see me for two whole seconds?"

"Yep." Buffy agreed unconvincingly as she turned to go, beginning to wish that she hadn't come, especially now that she was beginning to feel completely and utterly stupid.

Angelus shook his head still not believing her. "I'll keep you company." He murmured as he walked after her.

Buffy paused looking back at him over her shoulder. "You are?" she asked.

Angelus nodded, pressing another kiss to her lips as he moved past her. "Yeah, I have the sudden urge to see you in action." He murmured with a teasing smile.

Buffy watched him walk away from her for a moment, wishing that she hadn't backed out of asking her question, disappointment filling her and her shoulders slumped. "Fortune favours the brave." She muttered quietly, before she walked after him. Wondering if she was about to spend her patrol being badgered by Angelus as he tried to get her to tell him the truth behind her visit.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Spike stared at Xander's back as the boy stood by his bed in nothing more than a t-shirt and boxers as he pulled back the bedding on his foldout bed, knowing that his gaze was getting to the boy, despite the fact that he had tied him snuggly to this damnably un-comfy comfy chair . "Don't see why I have to be tied up." He muttered after a moment as Xander began climbing into his bed.

Xander looked over at his unwelcome house guest, a guest who was the reason he was sleeping in his bed alone Anya having felt that she would be to uncomfortable sleeping with the hostile vampire in the same room, tied up or not. "It's just while I'm sleeping." Xander told him as he began settling himself down on the bed.

Spike rolled his eyes. "Like I'd bite you anyway." He muttered annoyed at being tied up in the dank, musky smelling basement, that also had the distinct smell of laundry detergent and other various cleaners mingled in making it fairly uncomfortable for his sensitive nose.

"Oh you would." Xander said with complete certainty as he pulled the sheets up snuggly about him.

Spike snorted looking away from the boy momentarily to flick his gaze about the basement once again. "Not bloody likely." He grumbled, a bad taste rising at his mouth at the very thought.

Xander raised a hand up off the bed moving it through the air for emphasis as he spoke. "I happen to be very biteable pal. I'm moist and delicious."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Alright, yeah fine you're a nummy treat." He muttered sarcastically.

"And don't you forget it." Xander ordered, not picking up on the sarcasm in Spike's voice as he reached over and turned off his bed side lamp plunging his basement bedroom into darkness.

There was silence for a moment as Xander closed his eyes intending to go to sleep and hope that tomorrow was a better day. "Xander," Spike broke the silence, his voice high pitched to sound like a woman's. "Don't you care about me?" Mimicking Anya an amused smiling curling up his lips as he felt his boredom begin to slip away.

"Shut up!" Xander demanded, a frown creasing his brow as he kept his eyes closed, hoping that he would have to speak to the peroxide blond vampire again until after he'd had a good night's sleep.

"We never talk." Spike continued to mock.

Xander's eyes snapped open as he held up a warning finger in Spike's general direction. "Shut up!" He grumbled, his voice getting angry.

"Xaaaannnder." Spike called into the darkness enjoying himself at the boys expense.

"Shut up!" Xander growled sharply, already feeling that tonight was going to be a bad one… a very, very bad one. He was beginning to really regret swapping his night of romance with Anya for this… _'How'd Giles ever put up with having him around for so long?'_ Xander thought grumpily as Spike's voice once again sounded throughout the basement, making it impossible for him to relax enough to be able to get any shuteye.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus walked beside Buffy as they headed back towards the university campus after only a short uneventful patrol. "Sorry you didn't get to see any action tonight." Buffy apologised.

"I'm sure I'll survive." Angelus smirked at her. "Maybe your reputation is starting to scare them all away."

Buffy pretended to think about it for a moment, before she shook her head. "Nah, the demon populous in general will never get that smart. Besides, they get all gaga for the hellmouth…" Buffy trailed off a slightly concerned frown creasing her brow. There wasn't much that would get demons off the hellmouth, but whenever they did feel the need to leave… it was never over anything good…

"There probably just taking a break from it all. Even demons like holidays, you know." Angelus murmured teasingly.

"Oh, I wish!" Buffy exclaimed. "If demons liked holiday's so much I'd get more than one night off a year. Which for the last couple of years I haven't gotten off either."

"Yeah, well there are idiots in every crowd." Angelus excused with a small wave of his hand, before he moved a little faster, getting in front of Buffy so that he could grasp the handle of the door; opening it for her.

Buffy walked through the door. "Yeah, well. If the idiots would take the night off once a year like the rest of you, that'd be peachy."

"Well, maybe if you keep dreaming, that might just come true." Angelus murmured as he followed Buffy up the first flight of stairs that was just the start of their journey up to the floor Buffy's dorm room was.

"That unlikely, huh." Buffy muttered disappointedly.

They walked in silence for a short while as they steadily climbed the stairs. "So, are you going to tell me why you came over tonight?" Angelus asked as they made it to Buffy's level in Stevenson Hall.

"Can't a girl just want to see her boyfriend?" Buffy asked exasperatedly, she knew that there was very little point in continuing to pretend that she hadn't been lying, but if she admitted it… then he'd want details… and after her first attempt at asking him tonight… she didn't feel up to making a second one just yet. "I mean… I like seeing you just before bed." She admitted, remembering as she did so the first time she had said something very similar to that… on the morning of her seventeenth birthday and the way Angel had looked uncomfortable, surprised and pleased all at once.

"Of course." Angelus stated immediately. "I just wish that you would entrust me with whatever it was that brought you to me tonight."

"That is why." Buffy lied stubbornly as they came up to her door. Coming to a stop in front of it she looked up at Angelus who was gazing at her searchingly.

"Fine." Angelus said after a moment, a very faint hurt twinge in his voice that Buffy only picked up because she knew his voice so well. "Have a good night." He muttered, before turning on his heel and beginning to stalk away.

Buffy barely hesitated a second before she reached out and grabbed him by the sleeve of his favoured leather jacket. "Wait." She pleaded softly, drawing Angelus up mid step as he turned back towards her. "Just be careful out there." She cautioned.

Angelus turned around fully so that he was facing her. "Buffy, what's going on?" He asked concerned now. It was very rarely that Buffy felt the need to caution him.

Buffy licked her lips as she looked up and down the hall making sure that it was empty of everyone but them. "I had a dream this afternoon. I-I didn't fully understand it… but I don't think it's going to be anything good. I mean anything that has something to do with taking seven and screaming can't lead to anything good."

Angelus frowned. "Take seven. Take seven what?"

Buffy shook her head. "I don't know. But what I heard… what I saw. Wasn't pretty. I mean I've seen ugly demons but what I saw went beyond that. And the snappy suit just added a whole other creepy factor."

Angelus took Buffy by the shoulders. "Buffy slow down, not every dream is prophetic. This could just be a normal dream."

Buffy shook her head. "It didn't feel normal, Angelus. It felt foreboding like something was coming."

"Really? So you didn't dream of anything else?" Angelus asked, realizing in the back of his mind that he was having almost the same conversation with Buffy as the soul had had just before they'd accidentally released him.

"Well, there might have been something else, but it kinda all melded together." Buffy mumbled, not really wanting to tell him that she had dreamed of him and Riley throwing down over her. It might just give him ideas, after all… he didn't like Riley to begin with.

Angelus gave his head a small shake as he released one of her shoulders so that he could touch her cheek. "Even if it is a prophetic dream. Buffy, it's not the end of the world." He assured her.

Buffy bit her lower lip as she looked up at Angelus uncertainly and she stepped back from him. "It ended mine last time." She admitted softly, her voice almost a whisper.

Angelus winced as he took a step closer to her, grasping her shoulders again this time pulling her up against him, his arms folding around her in a hug as he held her against him; relief filling him as he felt her smaller arms slip around his back in return, her face pressing in against his chest. "Don't worry, Buffy." Angelus murmured soothingly, his hands stroking soothing aimless patterns up and down her back. "If you can survive me at my worst, these demons you say are coming will be a snap." He assured her. "And this time, you'll have me on your side." He promised and he felt Buffy's arms tighten about him in response. "Those demons won't know what hit them." He murmured softly, hoping that he was making her feel better. He still wasn't all that comfortable with the process, but he believed that he was beginning to get the hang of comforting his young mate-to-be.

Angelus slid an arm from around her back, using it so that he could gently tilt Buffy's head back so that he could see her face. Leaning in towards her he pressed his lips to hers, moving them against hers in a slow affectionate movement a smirk of satisfaction attempting to curl them up as he felt Buffy's small hands fist in his leather duster. "Are you sure that you don't want to go back to my place?" He asked hopefully.

Buffy bit her lower lip, awfully tempted to do just that. To spend the night with him and wake up in his arms, to have him so close all night and be able to see him in the morning… she really enjoyed waking up beside him. It was something she had always wanted to feel with Angel, but had never quiet gotten there. Things always got in the way. "Uh, no. I better not. I promised Willow that I'd be back tonight. And I wouldn't want to worry her." She murmured regretfully as she glanced towards her door where she was pretty sure Willow was inside waiting for her; suddenly wishing that she hadn't made that promise. "But, I could stay tomorrow night." She offered hopefully.

"It's a date." Angelus agreed.

"Great!" Buffy murmured as she reluctantly stepped out of Angelus' embrace.

"Have a good night, Buff." Angelus murmured.

"Oh, I'm sure that I will. I plan to sleep the rest of it away. Hopefully catch up on all the Zzz's I missed last night. And hopefully my dreams will be a bit more pleasant than they were this arvo." She muttered.

Angelus smirked teasingly. "Just dream of me. That'll solve that problem." He said cockily, getting a small laugh out of Buffy. "I'll see you tomorrow Buff." He murmured in way of goodbye, before he turned and began walking off down the hall, aware of Buffy's gaze on his back as he went. His mind slowly drifted from her and her worry over her dream as he became aware of a craving for blood burning in the back of his throat, causing his plans to change from headed straight back to the mansion to making a quick pit stop at The Bronze, beforehand.

Buffy watched Angelus go until he had turned the corner out of sight, her gaze regretful as she wished that she was going with him… if she had, she might have gotten the courage to try asking that question again in the morning. Turning towards her door, Buffy let herself in not all that surprised to see the light still on, but was surprised to see Willow asleep at her desk, her head using one of her text books as a pillow. Closing the door behind her softly, Buffy slipped out of her jacket, throwing it over her desk chair before making her way over to Willow. Doing her best to gently lift Willow out of her chair and carry her over to the bed without waking her. She was glad that Willow had changed in to her pyjamas before falling asleep at her desk as she doubted very much that she could get her red headed friend into them without waking her up.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles sat at his desk, a frown of concentration on his face as he looked down at the words that he had written down on the note pad, the ink making up the words thick now from all the times he had traced over them. "They need to take seven… take seven what?" He mused, his mind still frustratingly pulling up blanks in recalling where he had read something like it before. His musing was interrupted by a sudden knock at the door. The sound made him look up from the pad and get up quickly from his desk to walk over to the door. A smile lighting up his face after he had pulled open the door to reveal the woman he had been expecting to arrive hours ago. "Olivia." He greeted as he stepped aside to allow her to enter his condo.

Olivia smiled as she stepped inside, glad that her journey was over for now. "Sorry I'm so late." She apologized. "The flight was a horror."

"Oh dear, bad weather?" Giles enquired sympathetically, knowing just how horrid flights could be with enough turbulence.

"Baseball movie." She answered simply, knowing that Giles would understand her pain at being forced to watch a movie about baseball.

Giles smiled amusedly. "Oh, I'm sorry." He murmured.

"Yes." Olivia murmured, her gaze darkening as she stared up at him, her hands releasing the bags that she had brought in with her. "That's enough small talk, don't you think?" She murmured, before she leaned up onto her toes her arms coming up to wrap around Giles holding him close as she pressed her lips to his; in a kiss that grew more heated in moments. Giles removed his glasses and blindly setting them down on the desk he had just been working at. Completely forgetting about his research in the face of Olivia's arrival.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Inside the very top of an old clock tower a small ornate box that was just big enough to be held easily in any of the seven demons that stood around the table with impeccable posture, in the palm of their long fingered hands. One of the demons stepped forward, seemingly gliding towards the table. He reached out, his long fingers grabbing the lid of the box and slowly pulled it open just as the clock tower began pealing out the fact that it had just struck one o'clock.

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Immediately after the lid of the box had been opened, a house that was closest to the clock tower where the occupants were sleeping peacefully. Inside his bedroom a little boy lay in his bed, his mouth opened with a will of its own and a white mist streamed out of his mouth, when the last left, the boy's mouth closed again as he continued sleeping completely unaware that anything had happened as the white mist that had left his shot out the window, followed by two others. The three mists that were the voices of the small family that lived in the house floated through the air heading towards the box that was calling to them; joining the many other streams of mist that belonged to the occupants of the surrounding houses.

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In a bedroom across the town an elderly couple slept in their bed, their mouths opening in unison as the mist that was their voices spilled from between their lips and floated out their bedroom window to join the many others in their journey to the ornate box.

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Giles and Olivia lay asleep in his bed; Olivia curled up against his chest, as their mouths opened and the misty substance slipped from their mouths, before their mouths closed again as if it never happened.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

In Buffy and Willow's dorm room both lying asleep in their separate beds. The spell the box cast when opened causing their mouths to open just like the rest of the towns peoples. The mist rising up from between their parted lips, before it disappeared. Joining the rest of the mists that was coming from the other dorm occupants. The separate small clouds of mist moving swiftly through the town, heading for the top of the clock tower and the open box.

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Once the last small cloud of mist made it into the box, the hand that had opened the box closed it. The demon turned to face his six other companions, their grey white faces with their horrid perpetual smiles that displayed their pointy looking teeth. Their grey white skin was drawn tightly across their face making their white eyes look wider than they were. The other demons clapped in congratulations, the demon who closed the box bowed stiffly, his hands fluttering gentlemanly through the air as if bashful about the applause he was receiving from his peers.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy stretched languidly in her bed as she slowly drifted towards consciousness. She lay there for a few moments longer enjoying just lying there, knowing that she didn't have to be anywhere this morning. No classes where demanding her attention this morning. After a few more moments though she sat up and threw the covers off herself. Natures call forcing her to abandon the comfort of her bed before she was completely ready to. Getting to her feet, Buffy slipped her feet into her slippers and grabbed up her toiletry bag, before she slipped from her dorm room and out into the hall. The hall was empty apart from herself as she moved quietly down the hall until she reached the bathroom door.

Quickly using the facilities, Buffy stood in front of one of the sinks gazing at herself in the mirror for a moment taking in her bed rumpled hair, before she pulled her toothbrush and toothpaste from her small toiletry bag and set about brushing her teeth. The sounds of people moving about in the hall reached her ears as she moved the small brush over teeth, loving the way it made her mouth feel nice and fresh before she had even finished cleaning her pearly whites. Finishing up Buffy packed up her things and made it back out into the hall. Her eyes flicked around the hall looking at the people that were standing out in the hall. Her eyes focusing on a girl who was leaning into a man's chest crying. She looked away a moment later, something not quiet seeming right about the scene, but she couldn't quiet put her finger on it.

Walking back into her dorm room, she smiled at Willow who was just getting up, her mouth immediately opening to greet her friend. "Good morning." She tried to say, only to end up mouthing the words as no sound came out. Buffy stopped dead in her tracks her hand coming up to her throat feeling it for anything unusual.

"Hey," Willow tried, wanting to apologise for the night before only for no sound to come out of her mouth either. She looked at Buffy wide eyed, fear clutching at her as she tried to understand why she couldn't hear herself speak.

Buffy pressed the hand she had touching her throat firmly against her throat as she tried to speak again. "Good morn…" She trailed off as no sound once again came out of her mouth. She gave Willow a concerned look as she tried yet again. "Good," When she once again couldn't hear anything coming out of her mouth, she trailed off once again. "Will, can you hear me?" She asked still not hearing her voice, but hoping that Willow could.

Willow shook her head adamantly. "No, I've gone deaf!" She tried to say, her expression showing just how distressed she was.

Buffy shook her head slowly, her mind ticking it over, remembering what she had seen out in the hallway. The girl who was sobbing without sound. "No, I don't think so." She mouthed. "We can't speak." She said, trying to mouth it as clearly as possible so that Willow could understand her.

Willow looked at Buffy shook before she opened her mouth and tried to scream long and loudly… hoping that perhaps if she got her voice loud enough it would work. That there was only something stuck in her throat preventing her voice from getting out, something that just needed to be dislodged. But still no sound came out and all she succeeding in doing was hurting her throat.

Willow massaged her throat as she watched Buffy walk back towards the door she had just come through. Buffy peered out into the hall to see most of the people that lived on this level standing out in it. All of them trying to talk or shout, but despite all the moving mouths and exaggerated frustrated arm waving not a single voice could be heard in the hall, making it a strange thing to witness. Buffy's gaze was concerned as she watched her fellow co-eds continue trying to make sound come out of their mouths.

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Xander jumped up from his bed, his mouth working as he tried to get sound to come out. His snarky morning remark having been soundless. "What's going on?" He mouthed, his hands going to his throat. "Why can't I talk?" He tried to ask only for no sound to once again come out of his mouth. Spike who was still tied down to the chair was moving his own mouth trying to make his voice come out of his throat with the same lack of success that Xander was having, his attention was turned from his efforts a moment later though as Xander whirled around to face him; pointing an accusing finger at him. "You!" Xander mouthed soundlessly, his expression angry. "You-you did this to me!" He tried to shout, only for his arm to wave in the air dramatically as he continued to point a finger at the bound vampire.

Spike gave Xander an 'Are you stupid' look. "Me?" He mouthed, before raising his arms as best he could with the ropes binding his arms to the arms of the comfy chair. "How?" He mouthed.

Xander pointed his finger at himself. "I can't talk!" He mouthed accusingly. Spike gave him another look and Xander realized just how ridiculous he was being blaming Spike when he'd been tied down to the chair all night. Spinning away from Spike Xander scrambled over his foldout bed reaching for the phone. The moment Xander's back was turned Spike raised his hand so that the back of it was shown to Xander two of his fingers raised in the air, before he lowered his hand and looked away, completely disinterested in what Xander was doing, and too annoyed at his current situation to want to even enjoy watching the idiot scramble around like the fool he was.

Picking up his phone Xander quickly dialled Buffy's number holding the phone to his ear as he listened to the phone ringing in his ear.

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Buffy looked from where she sat on Willow's bed, her arm draped around Willow's shoulder comfortingly as the phone rang. Immediately out of instinct Buffy got up and answered pressing the receiver to her ear as she tried to say 'hello' into the phone. She glanced hopeless over at Willow shrugged a little not sure what they could do about it. Buffy tried again to speak into the phone, only for once again no sound to come out and none coming through the phone.

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Xander tried to speak into the phone for the third time before realizing that he couldn't speak, defeating the whole purpose of the phone as Buffy or Willow whoever had picked up couldn't hear him… and obviously couldn't speak either as there was complete silence on the other end as well. Xander began lowering the phone back towards it cradle as he looked around suddenly feeling self-conscious and stupid as he realized that it should have been obvious to him that the phone wouldn't work without a voice. Spike looked over at him, completely bored with the situation. "Untie me!" He mouthed, quickly becoming irritated as for the moment Xander completely ignored him.

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Riley jerked awake at the sound of his bedroom door slamming open. Sitting up immediately a serious look on his face knowing that Forrest wouldn't just barge into his room for no good reason. "What's the problem?" He tried to ask only to end up mouthing the words. Riley cleared his throat and tried again. Forrest reached down and shook Riley before he could be completely consumed by his panic. Silently he pointed to his own throat indicating that he had the same problem, before pointing out Riley's open bedroom door.

Riley looked out of it immediately seeing that the others of the Lowell house where suffering from the same problem as they stood around holding their throats, trying to speak and failing. Immediately taking stock of the situation Riley reached for his pants.

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Angelus rolled from his side to his back on his lavishly big and comfortable mattress as he came awake far earlier than he had expected to. His senses tingling with the not so pleasant sensation of a vampiric intruder creeping up on him. The intruder's shoes squeaking slightly with their every step. Angelus kept his face blank as he lay there, pretending to still be peacefully sleeping. He waited patiently as the vampire invading his room slowly got closer. Fear was coming off him in strong waves, but he continued on getting closer. Still Angelus waited, waited until he could sense the bastard standing over him. There was a small shift in the air above him and that's when Angelus made his move.

Opening his eyes, his arm snapped up in reaction to the arm that was plunging down towards him stake in hand. His hand grabbed the wrist halting the stake mid strike. Having halted the stakes progress towards his heart, Angelus looked beyond it to the snivelling coward wielding the coward, to see one of the minions he had driven off after taking control of the Gem of Amara standing over him a sneer of effort curling up the ungrateful shits lips. "I should have killed you." Angelus tried to growl, only for his lips to move and no sound to come out. His free hand came up to touch his throat in surprise as he tried to speak again only to once again be forced to mime the words he wished to speak. When he felt his hand slip in his distraction and the stake come dangerously close to his heart.

Angelus forced the arm away from his chest, his hand probably holding the vampire's wrist tighter than necessary as with his free hand he punched the vampire in the face without letting go of the vampire's wrist. His grip forcing him to roll out of the bed as the vampire fell back from the power behind the blow Angelus had delivered. Angelus landed on top of the intruding vampire, his former minion. Who'd come to kill him for the Gem that he wore constantly on his finger. "Give me the Gem of Amara." The minion mouthed angrily as he struggled under Angelus' strength, knowing full well that the longer it took to get the ring off him the more likely it was the he would die. Angelus not being known for his mercy especially to those that try to kill him, or cross him in anyway.

Angelus ripped the stake away from the minions grip, their struggles mostly silent as their grunts rent the air silently. Angelus jumped off his old minion, not feeling like letting him off all that easy. Bending down completely unconcerned with his nudity, he grasped the minions shirt by its lapels and pulled him up off the ground, his expression angry as he stared at the minion who had the gaol to look defiant instead of terrified for his life. "Did someone send you? Or did you think this up all by yourself?" Angelus tried to ask, rolling his eyes in annoyance as his question came out just silent breathes. The minion didn't bother trying to answer the question that he had read on his former master's lips, feeling no obligation to answer. Let the bastard sweat that someone else might come after him. It'd serve the arrogant cocky bastard right!

There was more Angelus wanted to ask, but without a voice it wasn't worth it. With a quick movement Angelus thrust the stake into his former minions heart, before the low level vampire could even register that it was about to happen. His gaze finally turned desperate, a welcome change from the defiant look of before. His hand reached out clumsily for the ring that was one the hand that was holding the lapels of his shirt. His fingers barely grazed the gem that he coveted, before he turned to dust on the stake that had been meant for Angelus' heart. Angelus let out a silent sigh as he wiped his fingers clean of the dust that had dirtied his hands the moment the stake through his ungrateful heart had done its job.

The threat out of the way, Angelus placed a hand to his throat as he attempted to clear it, only for his efforts to go unsuccessful. He could almost think that he had a cold, but his throat felt normal not to mention the fact that he hadn't been able to catch a cold since he'd been turned. Scenting fear and sadness coming from outside, Angelus quickly pulled on a pair of leather pants before moving towards his window, pulling aside the curtain that had prevented the sun from bathing his room in light. Preventing the warm glow from waking him before he was ready. Not that it had done him much good this morning, seeing as one of his ex-minions had decided to stow away in his mansion sometime during the night and bide his time until the time he decided to strike. Angelus scowled, the little punk. He should have just been grateful that he'd let him live. He'd known that he'd missed at least one of the minions that he had kept around the place, before the Gem, but he hadn't bothered trying to track him down. It hadn't seemed worth his time, to track down a minion, he was only one after all and he'd been a coward at that.

Angelus walked out onto his balcony overlooking a fair amount of Sunnydale. He doubted very much that the old minion was working for someone. The idiot was always a coward, but he'd also been a bit power hungry. Angelus had just assumed that he'd be too much of a coward to attempt to take him on, but then again he'd tried to not take him on by attacking him in his sleep. Angelus moved towards the balcony rail and looked out over the town. His eyes coming to rest on the humans that were his neighbours as they moved about in a panic. His keen eyes picking up the fact that they were moving their mouths in an attempt to speak, but like him no sound was coming out. Angelus frowned out over the scene finding it strange that this had happened. _'What could take the voices from a town whilst they were sleeping?'_ He thought as he swept his gaze over what he could see of the town, before he turned and quickly made his way back inside his room, heading straight for his wardrobe.

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Riley quickly followed Forrest down the stairs to the disguised elevator in their Frat house. They both stood in front of the mirror as was protocol as the red scanning laser moved down their bodies. "Retinal scan accepted." The automatic electronic female voice of the elevator monotone, before the elevator door opened. The two stepped inside the elevator calmly, the door closing almost immediately afterwards. The elevator began descending as Forrest using a pad and pen he had thought to grab, began writing. 'It's all over town.' Riley read, just before the elevator came to a sudden stop as per the protocol that it had been programmed with.

"Vocal code not accepted." The elevator monotone-d. Riley and Forrest gave each other concerned looks. "Please state you name for vocal identification." Riley rushed over to the box, leaning in as close as he could, before breathing twice into it, trying to make the breaths loud enough to perhaps get a vocal match off of it. "Vocal code not accepted." The elevator informed them.

"Unauthorized being will be considered hostile." It continued, running through the script that it had been given for this situation. Riley hurriedly moved over to the panel, popping it open as the elevator began speaking once again. "Please commence vocal identification in the next 20 seconds to avoid countermeasures." Riley pulled out his access card, sliding it through the slot. Immediately a red words lit up the small screen above the keypad that had been hidden inside the hidden panel in the elevator. Words that read 'Enter Override Code' with a beep to signal that he could begin. Hurriedly Riley punched in the override code. "Override code incorrect." The female voice of the elevator informed them.

Forrest scribbled on his pad again. Tapping his pen against the paper to get Riley's attention; Riley glanced over at it and read the impatient words. 'Come on. Come on.'

"Lethal countermeasures engaged." The elevator said just as a gas began to leak into the elevator from vents near the bottom of the elevator. Forrest and Riley looked over at the lethal gas, before holding their breath as Riley turned his attention back to the panel, ripping out the wiring to the panel, in the hopes of resetting the panel to re-enter the code.

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The elevator door burst open and Riley and Forrest rushed out coughing and spluttering as they sucked in relieved breathes, both glad to be alive after their close brush in with the lethal gas that was evaporating harmlessly inside the elevator as the vents sucked the gasses back in making it safe once again. Walsh met their gazes with an annoyed expression two scientists standing behind her with clipboards in their hands. Walsh pointed in the direction of a sign, her expression still stern as the two looked towards it. Their gaze landing on a sign that read, 'In case of emergency use stairway.'

Riley's and Forrest' expressions turn sheepish as they looked back at Walsh who raised an eyebrow at the two of them, before she continued on her way immediately followed by the two scientists. Riley and Forrest gave each other a look, before following after her as well. Both of them un-cowed by Walsh's disapproval, both still glad that they were alive after their brush up with the lethal countermeasures of the elevator.

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Tara walked slowly down the steps, having only just decided to brave leaving her dorm room. Her mind having been filled with thoughts of Willow and debating whether she should approach the red head. She made it to the entrance hall of her dorm, her gaze going around all the people that were lingering around the hall, the complete silence feeling strange for the normally bustling happy atmosphere. The entire feel of the hall was one of depression as people cried and tried to speak in frustration as they failed. Her gaze lingered over a small group of people that were having a very subdued conversation via notepad.

She began to walk through the hall when a guy who had been carrying a glass of water accidentally let it slip from his fingers. The glass hitting the ground with a loud crash that sounded ten times louder than it normally would in the silent hall. Tara jumped back slightly in surprise at the noise. The guy looked around embarrassedly at all the gazes that were on him, before he slowly bent down to clean up the mess he had made. His cheeks flushing hotly as everyone slowly turned their gazes away from him.

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Buffy sighed silently as she trudged down the street beside Willow, her arms wrapped around her waist as she looked about the town that she had never seen so sombre before. No matter what she had faced in the past, the town seemed to go on as normal completely unaware of what was going on around them. Content to be clueless, but this time whatever was happening was effecting them… making them pause in their day to day lives. Well most people had, the bank they had passed a small ways back had been closed; rubbish littering its steps. But out of the whole town one shop had remained open, the liquor store. Who's business didn't seem affected by the sudden silence of the town and the oppressive atmosphere that had settled over the town. As people came and went from the store, every single one of them looking to drown their sorrows.

Buffy frown as she saw two kids exiting the shop, a brown paper bag in one of their hands. A bag that contained some form of alcohol she was sure. She faltered in her steps as she considered going over and relieving them of the alcohol that they had purchased illegally as well as going into the store and having a firm 'word' with the shopkeeper. But she decided against it as Willow who had noticed her distraction had stopped in her tracks and was looking at her expectantly. Buffy caught Willow up, looking over her shoulder at the kids, before forcing herself to shrug it off. She had more important things to be doing that chasing down kids who sought to use the pandemonium to their advantage.

A siren sounded in the distance, the vehicle wielding the siren coming close to the street they were walking down, but didn't turn into it. Buffy's gaze landed on a man who was sitting in the middle of the road, his head buried in his briefcase as if his entire world had ended the moment he had lost his voice and was just waiting for a car to come whizzing along the road to finish him off. Buffy bit her lower lip as she stared at the man as she continued to trudge along beside Willow, the whole feel of the town pressing down in on her. Willow and Buffy both paused in the middle of the street as they came across a small prayer meeting happening off to the side of the road. A black board behind the congregations leader doing the job of telling the small crowd of people what they were to do. All of them had their heads bowed as they read from the open bibles that they held up in their arms.

Buffy turned her gaze away from the prayer meeting, her eyes landing on a man standing off to the side a message board around his neck that read. 'Message boards $10.00'. Buffy and Willow glanced at each other, both pondering the same thing, before they began making their way over to the man. Quickly paying for the overpriced boards, both of them not wanting to be bothered trying to haggle when they had no voices to voice their opinion. They continued on their way, going another couple of blocks towards their destination, when Buffy paused her gaze going down a road that would take her towards Crawford street where there was a good chance Angelus might still be sleeping, completely unaware of what was happening in the town they called home. She wanted to go see him… see if he was still asleep or if he was awake and possible knew of something that might have this kind of power. She didn't think that it was a coincidence that the day before she'd had a dream about not being able to shout and cry and now latterly no one could talk… But mostly she just wanted to see him; seeing him would do something to boost her mood… he had that effect on her these days.

Willow grabbed Buffy's sleeve and gave her a look, before she jerked her head in the direction they were supposed to be going. "Come on, Giles will be waiting for us." Willow mouthed; Giles' tending to be a focal meeting point for them to gather when there was trouble, so it made sense to travel there in times of crisis. Buffy sighed silently, before nodding her agreement and they went on their way again. She could always go and visit him a little later… she was supposed to see him tonight after all… but somehow she doubted that it would be the romantic evening she had been hoping it was going to be.

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Buffy and Willow walk into Giles apartment without bothering to knock, making their way into the living room where as they had expected saw Xander and Anya already there. Upon seeing them Xander jumped up from his seat, causing Anya to turn around to look curiously to see who'd arrived, she looked between Xander and Buffy wondering what the big deal was that the blond and the red head had finally arrived after taking their sweet time in getting here. Giles got up from his own chair and walked towards her, Buffy waved 'hi' at the both of them, a wave which Xander returned sullenly. Giles feeling the small wave of hello was slightly beneath him, clasped Buffy on the arm instead, giving her arm a reassuring squeeze as he smiled at her. Buffy placed her hand on top of his, appreciating her effort. "Anything?" Buffy mouthed hopefully as she saw all the occult books scattered about the condo, a hope that was swiftly quashed when Giles shook his head regretfully.

Buffy sighed once again as she lifted the board from around her neck, setting it down on Giles desk as Willow picked up her marker and swiftly scribbled something on her board, raising it up for Giles to see. 'Hi Giles.' It read, a small wavering smile curling up her lips. Giles moved over to her, wrapping a comforting arm around her small shoulders.

Buffy picked up the notepad that Giles had written part of her rhyme down on. 'Can't even shout, can't even cry…' Buffy raised a hand to her throat as she read it. _'So much for the dream just being the 'eternal mystery that is my brain' Giles.'_ Buffy thought, before her gaze focused on the last line that he had written of the rhyme. 'The gentlemen are coming…" Buffy held up the notepad directing it in Giles direction as she pointed her finger to where he had written 'The Gentlemen' with a line underlining the word, a questioning look on her face.

Giles shook his head sadly, having found nothing in the many books he had researched through since waking up this morning to find his voice gone, on the so called 'Gentlemen'.

Buffy lowered the notepad back down her gaze going over the words once more before she dropped it back onto the desk just as Xander started snapping his fingers to gain everyone's attention as he turned up the sound of the TV, the channel showing an emergency broadcast. The small group gathered around the TV as the newscaster began his speech. "We have this breaking news item from Sunnydale, California. Apparently the entire town has been quarantined due to an epidemic of… as strange as this sounds," The newscaster adlibbed. "Laryngitis. It seems that the entire town has been rendered unable to speak. There's no word yet what might have caused this or what other effects might be seen from this epidemic. Local authorities have issued this statement, a written statement, I should say, blaming recent flu vaccinations. A few sceptics call it a city wide hoax, in the meanwhile Sunnydale has effectively shut down. All schools and businesses will be closed for the time being and residents are advised to stay home and rest up. Centres for disease control have ordered the entire town quarantined. No one can go in or out until the syndrome is identified or the symptoms disappear. We wiil bring you more on that as it develops." The newscasters promised, before the channel went back to its normal scheduled program.

Olivia took a deep long swallow from the scotch that she had been drinking whilst watching the broadcast. Her plans to leave in a few days seeming like it was out of the question. Buffy borrowed Willow's board as Xander switched off the TV in disgust. "That's it?' He mouthed irritated, annoyed that once again they still knew just about as much as before, except that as usual the entire town was clueless as to what was really going on. Buffy quickly wrote on the board before holding it up for Giles to see. "Keep researching. I should be in town tonight."

Giles read it and frowned in confusion. "Why?" He mimed.

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"Because there will be chaos." An electronic computerized voice replied to a question Walsh had been asked. The professor having typed the answer on a blue screen of the computer she was sitting in front of. "You will help keep order." The computer continued as Walsh typed rapidly again. "Dress as civilians. A military presence would only increase panic."

Riley wrote on the notepad he had been given and held it up for Walsh to read. 'What's happening?"

Walsh turned back to the computer and began typing again. "We are looking into it." The computer spoke for her once again. "Go. Help maintain order. We will find an answer."

Having received that order the group that had been sitting around her quickly disassembled to get ready to carry out their orders. As he walked away Riley couldn't help but wonder how Buffy was holding up, not having had a chance to check in on her what with having to report in immediately due to the town wide epidemic.

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Angelus walked through the small courtyard, heading directly for Giles condo, believing that Buffy would be there with the others of her little group of friends. Giving a brief sharp knock, before entering the condo he walked in and received startled looks. Anya and Xander jumping up immediately from the couch they had been cuddling on, their eyes focused on him wondering what he was doing there. Angelus ignored them as his gaze swept over the living room, his eyes only confirming what his senses where telling him. That Buffy wasn't here. His gaze focused on Giles who was looking at him, only a hint of wariness in his piercing blue eyes as he stared at him relatively calm. "Where is she?" Angelus mimed determinedly.

"You just missed her." Giles mimed back, not needing Angelus to elaborate to know who he was looking for. Angelus nodded, before quickly turning around and exiting the apartment as swiftly as he had arrived.

Xander gave Giles a dubious look, marching over to the desk he picked up the pad, flipping it over to a clean page he hurriedly scribbled something down before aiming the written words in Giles direction. 'What are you thinking?'

Giles gave a small shrug as he adjusted his glasses on his nose. "That Buffy might need help if she runs into whatever demon these gentlemen characters are." Giles mimed, before he sat back down, his hand reaching out to touch Olivia on the arm making her look up at him, she attempted to give him a warm smile as she touched his hand in return.

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Buffy walked slowly along the town streets that were teaming with silent people who were just wandering aimlessly in the early night, the only sound they made where the sound of their steps. Each and every one of them walking with their shoulders slumped in misery. Her eyes scanning the growing dark, the street lights only just starting to light up the night, looking for anyone that looked as if they were about to start trouble. But so far the night had been quiet, she'd stopped only once so far… and that had been to comfort a lost little girl and walk her the few blocks back to her house; back to her very relieved parents.

Aside from that though, so far the night had been uneventful thankfully. Buffy turned a corner down into another street, where she jump as a car accidentally crashed loudly into a fire hydrant, that immediately sprang a leak through the dent the car had created, changing the pressure of the water inside. Buffy watched as the driver quickly got out of the car, slightly wobbly at first as he looked at the accident he had created, before he quickly turned and ran away; obviously feeling that on top of everything else that crashing his car was the last straw. Buffy watched him go, remembering the time when another adult had run with a crazy laughter after hitting her mother Jeep after running a red light, having been too busy eating one of those candy bars.

Further down the street she heard a commotion her gaze landing on Riley as he got between a white man dressed casually and a black business man as they got into a fight. Over what she wasn't sure, but Riley was busy trying to keep the peace seeing that he had in under control she went to continue on her way only to see the white guy who was being ignored by Riley as he smoothed the businessman suit down, trying to silently calm the man that was glaring over at the guy that had attacked him for accidentally bumping into him. But then the white guy picked up a pipe his stance completely aggressive as he began moving to attack Riley from behind. Buffy who'd been approaching from behind, grabbed the man's wrist, effortlessly drawing him up short. She gave him a look as he turned his head to look at her, her eyebrow raising in silent question.

The man only took in her look for a moment, before he moved to attack her for getting in his way. Buffy sighed silently as she rolled her eyes, before she twisted her wrist with a strong flick that had the bones snapping as they broke beneath her strength. The man opened his mouth wide in a silent scream of pain, his face screwing up in reflection of that pain. Buffy sure that the man was now successfully subdued released him and he crumpled into a heap of pain on the road. Riley turned away from the business man his eyes immediately landing on Buffy and he smiled brightly relieved to see that she was ok, having been hoping that he would run into her. Wanting to assure himself that she hadn't been attacked by some random that couldn't deal. His smile faded as before he could even move Buffy's attention was drawn from after she had only given him the smallest of friendly smiles. Riley followed her line of sight as best he could and his heart plummeted in his chest once again as his gaze landed on Buffy's boyfriend. A boyfriend that always just seemed to show up the moment he even though that he'd be able to spend a bonding moment with Buffy.

Buffy's smile brightened as her gaze landed on Angelus as she knew it would the moment she had felt him close by. Immediately forgetting about Riley who had seemed like he'd wanted to come over as she moved towards Angelus, her attention completely focused on Angelus. Angelus took a few steps towards her as well, his arms coming around her as he held her close against him. Glad that he had finally found her. His gaze went over Buffy's head to land on Riley who was watching them, a look in his eyes that Angelus effortlessly recognised as jealousy, a look he had seen in many men's and women's eyes over the centuries. Angelus stared Riley down silently challenging him to attempt to come over, but after a moment that seemed longer than it was Riley gave the back of Buffy's head a final look, before turning away; a crash in the distance forcing him to hurry away instead of the miserable trudging that he felt like doing.

Buffy pulled away slightly, her mouth opening to speak, before she snapped it shut again remembering that she still had no voice. Lifting the board around her neck she began scribbling over the white surface, before holding it up for Angelus to see. 'How are you?' She'd written.

"I'm fine." Angelus mouthed silently, before he hesitated a moment. Reaching out he grabbed the board and took the marker from her lax fingers. He quickly wrote something under her question. 'I was worried about you, when I couldn't find you.' He let Buffy read as he held the board around so that she could see it. Knowing all too well that humans could be just as dangerous as demons in times of crisis. A few streets back he'd seen a group of men beating up one what he assumed was another man.

Buffy took the board back from him, erasing the words on the board, before she began scribbling over the not so clean surface once again. 'Sorry, I've been all over the place today. Not having a voice sucks' Buffy hesitated, before she continued on. 'I wanted to come see you earlier.'

Angelus smiled glad that he hadn't been the only one burning to see her, that she'd been worried about him as well. Leaning in towards her, he kissed her, his hands coming up to hold her to him as he tried to convey everything he felt for her with his lips. Satisfaction filing him as he felt her melt against him, giving him her weight as her legs grew weak beneath her. The moment was broke though as a loud crash sounded from behind him and Buffy jerked away from him, returned to the reality of her situation by the noise. Buffy stepped to the side, her legs still a little wobbly as she looked down the street her eyes landing on a woman who was running from a couple of men. With a silent curse Buffy moved swiftly down the street, the weakness in her legs forgotten. Angelus sighed as he turned to watch Buffy run towards the fray, glaring angrily at the human men that had unknowingly interrupted a moment that had felt perfect to him. A silent growl erupted past his lips, annoyance filling him at the silence of the sound, a sound that put terror in the hearts and minds of humans… silenced by something that no one seemed to know anything about.

That's what he'd spent most of his day doing after the minion incident. He'd gone round doing his best to ask questions of the lesser demons, more of them than usual hiding in the sewers. Hiding from the army men they said, but none of them knew a thing about what had been the cause behind the loss of the entire towns voices. Angelus took off after Buffy, a rush of disappointment filling him as Buffy smoothly knocked the two men out, the woman she had saved barely noticing as she continued to run, heading for the safety of her home and unwilling to stop until she got there. At the same time he felt a thrill at seeing her so efficiently and deadly if she so chose, dispatch the two men without even a seconds hesitation. Buffy smiled at him, before she continued on down the street.

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Buffy paused in her stride as she looked about the now quiet streets of Sunnydale, all the people that had been wandering around aimless in their misery had finally returned to their homes to try and sleep; no doubt hoping that come morning everything will have gone back to normal. Turning to face Angelus, who had spent most of the night walking the streets with her. Balancing her board on her arm she scribbled on the board. 'I know I said that I would stay with you tonight, but Willow asked me to stay with her in the dorm.' She wrote, an apologetic look on her face as she held up the board for Angelus to see.

Angelus felt his eyes roll before he could stop himself. Finding it very typical that one of her friends would once again ruin his plans where Buffy was concerned. They were always doing it before… it stood to reason that they would continue to do so now. With a silent sigh, Angelus let it roll off him, a smirk curling up his lips not giving up just yet… not even in the slightest. The annoying little red head wasn't going to get in his way of wooing Buffy. He nodded his acceptance and mouthed a, "Fine. I'll stay there as well." He mimed clearly, causing Buffy's eyes to widen in shock for a moment. Her gaze following him as he walked by her heading in the direction she knew the university campus to be.

Before she shook her head and smiled happily; glad that he cared enough for her to spend the night cooped up with not only her in her small dormitory, but with Willow as well. Her smile was replaced by a small frown a short moment later as she followed after Angelus as she wondered just how Willow was going to take to this new development. Quickening her steps to catch up to Angelus she hurriedly scribbled on her board once again, before moving faster to cut in front of him, hating the fact that she couldn't just talk like she normally would. 'You don't have to, you know.' Angelus read as Buffy held up the board for him to read.

He raised a brow at her, his entire expression saying that he thought that what he was about to tell her should have been obvious. Reaching out he lifted the board from around her neck, Buffy watched as Angelus erased what she had written, before moving the marker over the board himself.

It was only a short moment later that Angelus finished writing what he had to say and thrust the board back at Buffy. Buffy moved to look down at the board only to be momentarily distracted as Angelus grasped one of her slender wrists in his hand and began leading her along the streets. Buffy allowed him to as she trusted him to guide her along the path for the moment as she looked down at the board he had given back to her. An affectionate/thrilled smile curling up her lips again as she read what he had written. Any and all thoughts she had had of trying to just getting him to go home for Willow's sake disappearing as her heart swelled with joy once again.

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Willow looked up from her laptop as the door to the room opened, relief filling her as she saw Buffy standing in the door. "Anything?" She mimed hopefully. Buffy shook her head in response as she stepped completely into the dorm room. Willow froze on the bed as Angelus stepped into the room behind Buffy, pushing the door shut behind him. Her gaze flicked from Angelus who ignored the red head as he slipped out of his jacket.

Buffy caught Willow's wide eyed look and gave her friend an apologetic shrug as she set down the board. "He doesn't want to leave me alone." Buffy mimed, her gaze glancing over at Angelus to see if he was paying her and Willow much attention.

Willow glanced over at Angelus once again, before turning her gaze back to Buffy as she nodded her understanding of the situation. Buffy smiled in relief and turned away as she began getting organised for bed.

Willow closed her laptop, her gaze catching on the board that Buffy had set aside. Leaning in towards it, she looked down at the words still written in the black marker on the board. 'I'm not leaving you alone tonight. You aren't going to be one of the seven.' She read and she felt herself flush slightly as she imagined the emotion that was felt behind the words. Leaning away from the board once again she covertly glanced over at Angelus from underneath her lashes, watching him for a short moment as he watched Buffy. Paying absolutely no attention to her what so ever. Willow looked away from him again, not wanting to get caught as she got up off the bed as she moved to pack away her laptop completely. She supposed it wouldn't be too bad to have Angelus here tonight… seeing as they had no clue as to what they were dealing with he might just come in handy…

Willow glanced over at him again, this time accidentally getting caught a flush staining her cheeks as she quickly looked away from the sardonic look that Angelus was giving her. She doubted very much that she would be getting any sleep whatsoever tonight! She'd be too nervous that Angelus just might get peckish.

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As the hands on the clock on the top of the clock tower struck 1:50am two of the Gentlemen glided out of the door of the clock tower accompanied by two of lackey's the shuffled awkwardly along the ground, bandages wrapped around them there arms flapping free of the untied strait jackets that they wore, following after the four others that had exited the building just moments before them. As the six glided along the streets, they split apart in groups of two, their hands waving goodbye to each other in small polite hand movements, before they turned away from each other as they glided down the street they had chosen, looking to start the collection of seven they needed. Their servants lumbering along behind them ready and willing to help their masters with anything that they needed.

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In Giles bedroom Olivia lay awake, prompt up against Giles chest. After a moment more of trying to lay peacefully against Giles' chest and let sleep claim her, she carefully got up and pulled on a robe, feeling the need to get a drink. Quietly she made her way down the stairs and into the living room. She was about to go into the kitchen for that glass of water, when something drew her attention to one of the windows. Slowly making her way over to the window Olivia pulled aside the lacy curtain that was hanging over the window, her gaze landing on one of the demons backs as it floated across the street. She startled, her mouth opening in a silent scream as one of the Gentlemen floated right in front of the window she was peering out of, and as if knowing that she was there, looked right at her, causing her heart to freeze in her chest as she tried to take calm steps from the window but ended up jumping back one of her hands covering her mouth as she waited to see what was about to happen. Knowing that she could even scream for Giles to come running to her aid.

But the Gentleman just looked away from her dismissing her as it continued to float down the street, moving unhurriedly after its partner.

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One of the three pairs of Gentlemen glided elegantly towards one of the many houses on the street they were on. Something about the house drawing them towards it, as they floated closer to the house, coming up on its front yard one of the Gentleman nods his agreement to the choice and the two float towards the gate, opening it they float up the path towards the door. Two of their servants lumbering behind them up the path as one of the Gentlemen knocked on the door.

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Angelus stirred slightly from where he lay snuggled up around Buffy's small frame. The bed she had been given by the school not really made to fit two, but they had managed. A frown darkening his brow in the darkness of the dorm room, his keen eyes easily focusing on the door, his senses telling him that something hostile was outside the door, he glanced down at Buffy and saw that she was still peacefully sleeping, one of her hands resting on his bare chest, her face lying on the mattress, where it had once been snuggled warmly against his neck. He looked back towards the door, his body relaxing slightly as he felt the presences move away from Buffy's door. But still he frowned, somewhat taken aback by the fact that whatever it was that had just been outside Buffy's door had made absolutely no noise as it moved. If he hadn't been on alert for something coming after Buffy he might never have known they were there at all.

Buffy shifted in her sleep and Angelus looked down at her again, before he settled himself down beside her again. His gaze flicking over to Willow annoyance, the girls presence making it impossible to do anything but lay there and sleep. Angelus sighed silently and closed his eyes once again, his arm wrapping around Buffy's body once again, holding her close, his senses still on high-alert in case the demons came back.

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The two Gentlemen glided around a corner going down a little ways as they continued to pass by doors as one continued to reject each door they passed with a small wave of its fingers that was just big enough to get his message across. They reached a door labelled with the number 118, the one that had been rejecting doors floated over to the door, his arms spreading as if to present the door. Letting his partner know that he had made his choice. Knocking on the door, the two waited only a moment before the student inside who had been woken by the sudden sound opened the door to see who it is. His eyes widened at the sight of the two tall ugly creatures standing in his doorway and quickly he moved to shut the door only for the two minions he hadn't noticed before to rush him. Grasping his arms as they forced him back into the room and onto his bed, holding his arms out wide as the boy struggled helplessly on the bed as he stared up at the two demons that were standing over his bed looking down at him as he struggled to get free. His heart pounding wildly in his chest.

The one that had been making all the decisions this night nodded slightly, informing his partner that this was the one. The other Gentlemen reaching inside his jacket and removed a scalpel from the inside pocket and handed it to the one that had chosen this heart. The Gentlemen took the scalpel gratefully from his partner, before looking down at his chosen victim and slowly leaning down the scalpel held carefully in front of him, the sharp blade aimed towards the boy's chest, who was watching everything happening with wide eyes. His throat wrenching screams going unheard in the dorm as his neighbours remained sleeping peacefully completely unaware that the boy in 118 was in any danger whatsoever.

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Back in the top of the clock tower one of the Gentlemen who had just finished putting the last heart they had collected that night into a canning jar, stepped back his hands flourishing as he presented the three collected hearts to his comrades. The five other that were standing around the table that was displaying the hearts and the box with the towns stolen voices clapped at their first nights success. The one that had placed the hearts in the jars waved his hands bashfully, his hands saying what he could not. That he felt his comrades were being to kind.

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Buffy felt bile rise up in her throat as she looked down at the body of the boy that had lived in dorm 118. Her eyes taking in the gaping hole in his chest, that was covered in drying blood that was spilled over his chest as well. The terror on his face fixed as he stared blankly up at a monster that was no longer there. Buffy turned away from the boy, no longer needing to look at him, having gotten what she needed. She walked softly back towards the open door, peeking out to make sure that the on-campus security officer was still facing the other way, she swiftly slipped out of the room as quietly as she had slipped in.

Walking over to Angelus who was leaning against the opposite wall just a little way away from the commotion that was going on just on the other side of the hall as students tried to crowd as close as they could around the security guard all of them wanting to get a peek in at the room and the unfortunate boy who had met such a grisly fate the night before. "Well?" Angelus mimed when Buffy stood in front of him.

"Whatever it is, it's taking hearts." Buffy mimed in response, her hand coming up to rest over her own beating heart, her minds-eye still seeing the gaping hole in the boys chest where his heart was supposed to be.

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Olivia sat on the stairs, Giles notepad resting on her knees as she moved a pencil over the page. She looked up grateful as Giles set a steaming mug of coffee beside her, her nerves still very much shaken from the night before. Giles walked over to his door, opening it he picked up the morning newspaper that had been thrown there by the newspaper boy. Flicking the paper open his eyes landed on the gruesome headline.

'BRUTAL SLAYING SHOCKS SILENT COMMUNITY' his gaze moved down to the subheading just beneath it. '15 Year Old Girl Stabbed, Heart Was Missing.'

Giles read the last words again, something clicking in his mind as the new information melded with what Buffy had already told him about the Gentlemen. Looking up from the newspaper his gaze landing on Olivia, who noticing his gaze, lifted her now complete and rather accurate drawing of the demon she had seen during the very early hours of the morning. Giles took in the image of the rather ugly demon that was grinning perpetually at him from the page and everything seemed to fall into place in his mind as he recognised the image from at least one of his many books. Walking over to his bookcase he scanned the many occult books that filled its shelves. Finding the red covered book that he needed, he pulled it from its shelf. The title covering the front of the cover reading 'Fairy Tales' and a picture underneath it that looked very much like the demon that they were after.

Giles opened the book, flicking through the pages until he found the page that he was looking for, wanting to brush up on his knowledge, not having read the tale for a very long time.

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Buffy sat in the very front row of a lecture hall in the university that she and the others on Giles order had snuck into. She sat with Willow on one side of her and Anya in the row behind them a small box of popcorn in her hands as she watched Giles make finishing touches to the projector he was setting up. Angelus was standing off slightly to the side his arms crossed over his chest as he looked around the hall that was growing darker with every blind that Xander managed to close. Xander closed the last blind plunging the hall into an acceptable dimness for the projector Giles wanted to use and made his way down the stairs to the front of the hall where he took a seat on the stairs as Giles pulled down the screen.

A creepy violin music played from the boom box as Giles pushed the play button to set the mood for his presentation. Angelus crossed his arms over his chest, a faint smile of amusement curling up his lips finding it amusing that Giles would be one for adding such flare to something that was supposed to just help him explain what was going on with his voice gone. Giles picked up the first transparency he had set up and placed it on the projector, where it was projected onto the screen behind him. Willow and Buffy immediately pointed to the screen, confusing Giles who had thought that he had been doing quite well for someone who still had problems working a computer. Behind Buffy and Willow Anya who had a mouth full of popcorn raised her own hand in the air and extended her index finger and rotated it in a circle.

Finally Giles looked behind him up at the projector and immediately saw the problem and swiftly turned the transparency around on the projector so that it was projected onto the screen the right way up. 'WHO ARE THE GENTLEMEN' The projection read. After a short moment Giles took of that sheet and replaced it with the next one, glancing behind him to check that he'd put it on the right way. 'THEY ARE FAIRY TALE MONSTERS.' His audience watched the screen intently; Willow making small notes on the notepad she had set up on her lap already as they read the next slide. 'WHAT DO THEY WANT?' Willow's hand shot up excitedly into the air, before Giles could even begin changing the transparency drawing everyone's gaze as she pointed meaningly at her chest, where her heart was beating.

Xander looked at Willow a little perplexed. "Boobies?" He mouthed his hands coming up to cup the air close to his chest; forming boobs with his hands. Willow and Buffy rolled their eyes and pointed meaningfully up at the projector screen where Giles had slid his next transparency into place.

'HEARTS' Xander read and nodded as he understood even a he took in the small red hearts Giles had drawn around the word. Giles placed the next sheet on the projector. 'THEY COME TO A TOWN' a picture of two Gentlemen standing on a hill top that was supposedly looking over a town.

Giles changed sheets again, finding that he was enjoying having such rapt attention from the young adults that he'd been endeavouring to guide for the past four years. 'THEY STEAL ALL THE VOICES SO THAT NO ONE CAN SCREAM' a picture of one of the two Gentlemen on the hill reaching out to a group of humans who had their mouths open and misty substance coming out of them and for extra emphasis Giles mimed losing his voice by raising his hand to his mouth and moving it away, before he turned back to the projector and his transparencies. 'THEN…' was all the next slide read and Buffy and Willow exchanged a look, neither of them realizing that Giles had it in him to be such a performer.

Giles held up a finger for a moment, trying to add to the tension he hoped he was creating, before he put up the next page. Buffy's, Willow's and Xander's eyes widened as they were greeted by the gruesome image Giles had drawn with bright red for the blood that was supposedly squirting out of the dead persons chest who was lying on the ground a Gentleman above him the persons heart in its hand, that was still dripping blood according to the drawing. The red on the drawing almost over powering the entire picture. Buffy and Willow exchanged another look, the both of them feeling like Giles might have gotten a bit carried away with the colour red. Behind them Anya remains undisturbed by the image as she ate some more popcorn. Xander bent his head down as he began to scribble on his notepad a sudden question popping up into his head. Giles put up the next sheet. 'THEY NEED SEVEN, THEY HAVE AT LEAST TWO.' A picture of seven red hearts were under the words each with small little red dots about them as if they were pumping out a blood still.

Xander snapped his fingers as he continued to look down at what he'd written for a short second more to make sure he'd spelled it right, the noise of his snapping fingers drawing everyone's gaze in the room. Xander lifted his head as he lifted the pad up for them all to see. 'How do we kill them?!'

Immediately Buffy made a fist pumping motion with her arm, believing that her meaning should be obvious, but as she was greeted with disturbed looks from Xander and Willow and uncomfortable one from Giles who to his credit was trying to keep a straight face and a raised eyebrow from Angelus she rolled her eyes stopping the motion long enough to reach over into her bag and pull out the ever handy stake that she kept on her at all times and repeated the motion again, this time receiving looks of relieved sudden understanding. Buffy rolled her eyes again as she placed her stake away once again a slight flush heating her cheeks that she was determined to ignore.

Giles who was visibly relieved and somewhat ashamed of himself for jumping straight to the conclusion that he had, changing the page with the next one with far more concentration than was necessary to help distract himself. 'IN THE TALES NO SWORD CAN KILL THEM' The transparency read, a picture of a still grinning Gentlemen with three swords sticking out of him as he still stood tall. Giles swapped out that sheet for the next one in his line-up. 'BUT THE PRINCESS SCREAMED ONCE… AND THEY ALL DIED.' A picture of a princess in a badly drawn princess dress screaming her lungs out as the two Gentlemen lay dead on the hill accompanied this projection.

Willow's expression brightened as an idea came to her and she reached into her bag and pulled out a CD, tapping it with her fingers to draw everyone's attention. She mimed putting the CD in a player, before holding her hands over her ears, before putting her hands to her throat to pantomime dying to the sound of a recorded voice. Finishing her silent explanation of her idea she looked around the room excitedly, an expression that dulled as Giles shook his head and held up a finger once again, before he turned to change the transparency once again.

'ONLY A REAL HUMAN VOICE' The transparency read, bellow the words a picture of a Gentlemen stick figure danced to a gramophone that was playing a record. Willow looked disappointedly at Giles as he pointed to his throat, before she put away the CD, bummed that her idea wouldn't work.

Buffy quickly used her marker to write something down on her board and held it up for Giles to read. 'How do I get my voice back?'

Giles shrugged his hands splaying out wide in a gesture of 'I don't know.' Turning back to the projector Giles changed the sheet again. 'BUFFY WILL PATROL TONIGHT' Buffy read that and didn't mind all that much she had assumed that she would be anyway… but what did have her scowling in disapproval was the image of the blond on the projector screen who was holding a crossbow evidentially meant to be her. The image was anything but flattering and had her hands going to her sides before she knew that they were going there.

Giles ignored Buffy's expression as he looked around at the others as he picked up a book in a gesture that they would be helping him research. Giles placed down the book and everyone that had been sitting got up. Buffy walked towards the projector as Giles set about flicking everything off and setting the room to looking like they hadn't been in there. Buffy picked up the transparency Giles had shown, her eyes focusing on the rough image of the Gentleman. Angelus approached Buffy his hand coming to rest on her shoulder drawing her attention from the image, sensing that something was bothering her. Buffy dropped the sheet she was holding back amongst the others as she turned towards Angelus, pressing herself against him with a silent sigh. If she'd known that this was going to happen she would have sucked it up and just asked Angelus her question. Considering the situation… there was a possibility that she may not get to use her voice again… after all Giles had no idea how to get their voices back; which wasn't a good sign.

Buffy pulled back from Angelus, her gaze going up to his face as she did so. "Are you alright?" Angelus mimed, his expression one of concern as he gazed down at her.

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, fine. I think Giles graphic slides got to me a little." She excused. It wasn't really a lie… his slides had gotten to her. Seven hearts… and two had already been collected at the least… and they had to take seven which meant five more possible victims who'd end up just like the guy in dorm room 118. Buffy felt a shiver run over her spine and she felt Angelus' hand come up brushing some hair out of her face and as she turned her gaze up to him again, she could tell that he didn't fully believe her, but she curved her lips up into a bright a smile for him, hoping that it would assure him that even if she wasn't completely fine right now, she would be. But she made a promise to herself, the moment she got her voice back… she'd ask him… no matter what.

From where he stood by the door having been just about to make his exit Giles watched the two and couldn't help, but feel grateful that he had decided to let things play out between the two of them. As even without voices he could see the affection between the two. The softness that Angelus showed her… an emotion that he never showed to anyone else. He just hoped that Buffy didn't end up hurt in the long run… but of course that could just be the course of their relationship, but he'd hate to see her as devastated as she was before… Giles stared at them a moment more before he turned and continued on his way out of the lecture hall. Leaving the two alone. Buffy glanced towards the door at the sound of it closing behind Giles and realized that they were suddenly alone in the hall. "So, are you accompanying me again tonight?" She mimed, wishing that she had her voice. It felt so weird to move your lips and have nothing come out… when it should be.

Angelus nodded. "Wouldn't miss it." He mimed, his cocky smirk in place as he took a step towards her, closing the distance she had put between them, his mind on other things now that they were finally alone together and they had the rest of the afternoon until night fell and they'd be out there walking the streets looking for any sign of the silent moving creatures that were plaguing the town they called home. Buffy gasped silently as Angelus grasped her by the hips and pulled her up against him, allowing her to feel the erection he was sporting beneath the leather pants. Using her gasp to his advantage, Angelus dipped down as swiftly took her lips with his. His tongue sweeping past her lips to tease and taunt her tongue until it was dancing with his passionately. Angelus slid his hands down so that they were cupping the curvaceous mounds that were the globes of her ass.

Easily lifting her off her feet he lifted her up into his arms, her supple legs wrapping around his hips on instinct as Angelus walked them back over to the desk Giles had been stationed at. Buffy moaned silently her eyes snapping open as her back hit the desk and Angelus began leaning over her, lowering her down onto the desk. Reaching her hands up she pressed them against Angelus' shoulders as she tore her mouth from his with a great deal of effort. "Angelus!" She mimed, quiet sure that she would be rasping his name if she had a voice at that moment. "Anyone could wander on in here." She mouthed helplessly, her body aching with need for him, the idea no matter how much the idea of being caught embarrassed her, it also made the heat that she could feel pooling in her lower abdomen rise.

Angelus looked down at her for a moment, his hips still rocking gently against her, before a grin curled up his lips and words weren't needed for her to understand what he was saying.

Angelus lunged down towards her once again, his mouth seizing hers as Buffy's hands that were still resting on his shoulders worked at undoing the buttons of his silk shirt, batting away the folds of the leather jacket that were getting in her way of the buttons, her fingers nibbling undoing each of the small buttons in mere seconds. Her fingers need to explore the newly exposed flesh slowing down her progress. Buffy arched up off the desk as she felt his hands working up inside her shirt, lifting it up over her stomach.

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Giles made it back to his car were Xander and Anya where waiting for their lift back to his place. Xander looked behind him, having expected to see Buffy with him, upon not seeing her he gave Giles a questioning look. "Where is Buffy?" He mouthed.

Giles adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, fighting the urge to take them off in his familiar nervous habit. "I believe that Buffy and Angelus felt a need for some bonding time." He mimed awkwardly.

Xander continued looking confused, not quiet able to make out what Giles had tried to say. He went to ask him again, when Anya who's eyes had lit up with understanding and she touched her boyfriend's shoulder, drawing his attention. "Buffy's having orgasms with Angelus." She mouthed as she did a small crude gesture with her fingers. Xander frowned, wishing that he hadn't understood Anya, his gaze flicking back the way they had come to where he now knew Buffy was getting all naked and sweaty with a demon he couldn't help but hate.

Giles didn't allow time for further comment as he ushered the two into the car, actually thankful in that moment that Anya and Xander couldn't speak, it spared his ears the pain of Anya's vulgar remarks and Xander's embarrassed rambling that did nothing to improve the situation. If only his eyes were spared the same… but then he'd never like to be completely blind again. His one experience with that had been more than enough to last him a life time.

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Buffy clung to Angelus as he drove himself in and out of her, his leather pants pooled around his ankles as the rest of their clothes littered the floor of the lecture hall, sweat beaded over her skin in a fine sheen. The only sounds in the room was the sound of their flesh slapping together with each thrust, their panted breathes and the sound of the desk rocking with every thrust. Buffy reached out, her hand grasping the projector as she tried to prop herself up, the wood of the desk digging into her back uncomfortably with every downward thrust of his hips. She bit her lip for a moment, her teeth digging into the soft flesh of her lower lip harshly as she felt the heat inside her growing deeper, seemingly filling her entire being with pleasure that sparked and flared with every thrust and shift of his hips. Tears pricked at hers as she felt frustration grow inside of her as she wanted nothing more than to voice at least a small modem of the pleasure she was feeling. The hand that was still clinging to him dug into his back, her fingers drawing a small amount of blood from his back as her nails made small crescent moon cuts in his back. The hand that was holding onto the projector was no less brutal in its grip and without her notice thin cracks began to spread out through the thick plastic from where her hand was clutching.

Buffy's teeth released her lower lip as she gasped silently her eyes screwing shut as she felt her pleasure growing deep inside her, her abdomen seemed to tighten with it. Angelus took advantage of her parted lips as he kissed her deeply once again as he continued to thrust inside of her welcoming tight sheath, their tongue dealing heatedly as they both fought for domination. Angelus felt a growl building up inside of him as he felt her strong thighs squeeze about his hips, as Buffy did her best to show him with her body just how appreciative she was of all the pleasure he was giving her with every thrust of his hips. His hands tightened around her hips in response as he thrust harder reading the silent wants of her body. Buffy felt his chest rumble, with a growl that had no sound. The sensation rocking through her highly awakened body the deep vibration shooting straight to her core sending over her over the edge that Angelus had been steadily working her towards.

Buffy tore her mouth away from Angelus' as her body arched as it was over taken with the blinding sensation of her orgasm as it crashed over her, sending her core into a fevered spasming that clenched around Angelus' driving member. Her hand that was clutching at the projector clenched about the thick plastic and a loud crack rent the air as the plastic that had already been struggling under her strength gave way to it completely and Buffy's hand pulled back as it was zapped by a sudden slight electric shock. Angelus collapsed against Buffy as his own orgasm rocked through him, her spasming sheath too much for the shreds of his control to handle. His seed spurting from him in waves up her hot wet sheath, the dead seed reaching her welcoming womb to no effect.

Buffy groaned silently as her body came back to life after a long moment of nothing but pure sensation as she felt Angelus against her sweaty body, his softening cock still buried deep inside of her. Slowly Angelus righted himself and Buffy forced herself to sit up, her gaze going to the projector a look of shock and horror colouring her already flushed face as she realized that she had accidentally broken the projector. Looking up at Angelus she mimed an "Oops." Angelus smiled amused a silent chuckle resonating in his chest, his amusement going unheard. Buffy slipped from the desk, her legs still feeling wobbly, but as her senses returned… so did her embarrassment over being naked and exposed in a place where just about anyone could walk in without even a by-your-leave. Quickly slipping back into her clothes that had been stern about the foot of the desk, Buffy walked over to the chair her stuff was still resting on. She'd just slung the strap of her bag over her shoulder when she felt Angelus take her hand in his, drawing her gaze. "Quick, let's make our get away before we're caught red handed." He mimed, tilting his head towards the mess they had made on the desk. What with the broken projector and no doubt the still wet evidence of their joining that was no doubt staining the edge of the desk.

Buffy nodded, her cheeks flushing with embarrassed, but also a thrilled heat at having done something that was so… forbidden… she followed Angelus up the steps towards the door, her small hand still clasped in his as they made their get away from the lecture hall Giles had confiscated without permission for his little slideshow.

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In the Initiative base Riley stood beside Forrest as they finished getting into their military uniforms, after the attacks last night after they all called it a night, there had been no question about whether they come out armed and ready tonight. It having been confirmed that something outside of the ordinary had been at work when the entire town had fallen silent. He looked up from his belt when he heard the hurried footsteps coming their way and a frown darkened his brow as he saw one of the newer recruits racing towards them, having been late. When he reached them, Riley drew the boy up to a stop and gave him a stern look that said what his words couldn't at that moment. The newbie swallowed thickly and nodded, his expression apologetic and Riley let him go already planning to have a good talk with the newbie when he had the chance. He felt Forrest touch his shoulder and he turned to look at his friend to see him holding up the notepad he had on him at all times. 'Newbies, man.' It read. Riley smiled as he could just hear the tone of voice Forrest would have said it in. Both Riley and Forrest finished donning their uniforms and picked up the specialized rifles that they had been issued. Behind them are the newspapers that the Sunnydale papers had run with that morning, the information they had… which wasn't much pinned up on the board. Shouldering his rifle Riley and Forrest began walking with a purposeful stride not wanting to wait for the new recruit to get completely suited up before hitting the streets, night having already fallen. Riley tapped one of his soldiers on the shoulder, gaining the man's attention he pointed to the recruit who was hurrying to get into his military uniform. The soldier sighed silently understanding what his superior wanted from him, but nodded as he was trained to do. Willing to carry out his orders.

Seeing that the new recruit would be taken care of Riley marched on with Forrest in toe for the moment as they made their way towards one of the staircases that would take them to one of their well hidden exits from the underground base.

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Buffy walked down a street with Angelus by her side. The street was lined with houses only the occasional putting any great deal of distance between the houses. Unlike last night the streets were devoid of people, all of them having chosen to remain in the relative safety of their homes after the killings that had occurred the night before. The silence was eerie, she doubted that she had ever gone so long without hearing another's voice before… she found that she was missing the sound of Angelus' more than anyone else's. And it was more than strange not to hear it especially when he was this close to her. He was after all really rather fond of talking. Buffy glanced over at his tall figure as he kept pace with her.

He'd been hovering rather close since they'd lost their voices, and she couldn't help but think that in a way he was scared of something happening to her, and she understood it, if that was indeed the reason for his hovering, he; by his own admittance knew not much at all about these demons that had come to Sunnydale, with the only warning coming from a prophetic dream that hadn't given them much. She had been scared herself at first, her last prophetic dream had led to the beginning of the worst stretch of her life that she could ever remember, but now she was in her element. She knew exactly what had to be done… all she had to do was find out exactly how she was going to manage it.

Buffy peered at him from beneath her lashes as she remembered their frantic love making in the lecture hall, the intensity and need she'd felt in him as they moved together on the desk. Buffy glanced away… perhaps she was wrong about him being scared of losing her to the Gentlemen's scalpel… but she wouldn't know… she'd never seen him scared since she'd first met him in Angel's apartment. Buffy shrugged slightly, it didn't matter why he was hovering, she was just glad that he was here with her. His presence seemed to lift the heaviness that was trying to weigh down on her the longer she and the entire town remained voiceless… joyless. Buffy glanced covertly into the windows of the house they were passing by, relieved to see that it appeared to be peaceful, not wanting anyone else to die so horribly on her watch.

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Riley stood alone on a street by the old clock tower looking around the street looking for any sign of trouble or anything suspicious that would hint at as to what was causing all the misery in the town he now called home. Glancing up at the clock tower to check the time, only to pause and look closer as he spotted a shadowy presence at the top of the tower behind the clock face that was illuminated by a light so that people could read it no matter what time it was. Staring for a moment longer unsure that he had really seen something only for a shadow to move up there again. Adjusting the strap of his rifle Riley moved swiftly towards the tower, using his training to remain as silent as he could as he headed for the only door in or out of the tower.

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Tara finished writing Willow's campus address on a yellow post-it note, having highlighted Willow's name and address in the Campus Directory. Pulling the post-it note up from the page of the directory as she began packing up the loose handwritten pages of spells she thought that Willow might like to try with her. Closing up one of the spell books she wanted to bring with her she stuck the note to the hardcover, before grabbing up a couple of others. Gathering them up in her arms she walked to her door opening it she looked back at her dorm room, biting her lip as she wondered if she could really do this. If she could really try to approach a person… even one that seemed as agreeable and friendly as Willow Rosenberg did. Taking a deep fortifying breath a small sweet smile curling up her lips as excitement as well as nervousness filled her. Stepping out of her dorm room she closed the door behind her as she made her way down the completely deserted hall.

Tara made it quickly out of her dormitory building and out onto the stretching lawns of the University campus. She walked through the grass the small blades crunching slightly under her feet. Tara bit her lower lip as she hugged her books and notepads to her chest, glancing around the night, she seriously started to wonder if she had really made the right decision to come out of her dorm room as she had the eerie feeling that she was being watched or followed by… something. She looked behind her, her eyes scanning the night nervously as her heart beat faster in her chest with her growing nerves. Tara let out a startled silent gasp of shock as she accidentally dropped her books and papers. Letting out a soft breath she bent down to pick them up. She'd just picked up the last of them when she felt a chill crawl up her spine making the fine hairs covering her body stand on end.

Turning around her eyes widened in fear as she took in the two slowly gliding figures moved towards her, their hands held in front of them elegantly. Behind them their two lackey's bandaged, with their strait jackets open still to let their arms run free as they held them out at awkward angles as they loped towards her, moving ahead of their masters to catch her for them. Tara let out a silent scream of terror before she turned and ran, her arms dropping the books and papers she had just picked up as her flight or fight response took over and she ran as quickly as she could towards Stevenson hall that was now closer than any other building. The lackey's and Gentlemen giving chase, their Masters gliding along behind them their hands moving minimally, but more than enough to express their excitement to each other.

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Buffy paused in her stride as her gaze fell on one of the Gentlemen as it glided along on the other side of the street from Angelus and herself. Buffy braced herself to follow after the demon, a small part of her wondering why it hadn't stopped and attacked her as it had obviously seen them standing there. Before she could move though a movement beside her caught her attention and her eyes widened minutely at seeing Angelus go down an ugly minion demon on top of him. The Gentleman forgotten for the moment she moved to help Angelus, barely missing the silent attack of the second minion. She managed to kick the demon off Angelus before the second demon grabbed her from behind, trying to squeeze the life out of her with its strong burly arms as Angelus flipped back up to his feet, his face hard with the ridges of the demon, his gaze flicking to Buffy to see her struggling in the grip of a second minion. Both brainless lackey's if he'd ever seen.

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Tara ran desperately down one of the unfamiliar halls that made up the Stevenson dorm. She banged loudly on the door she was closest to and inside the dorm room a girl sat up fearful in her bed, her sheet clutched to her chest as she sat unmoving silently praying that whoever it was would go away and leave her unharmed. Tara too fearful to stay in one place long raced on down the hall, her heart pounding painfully in her chest and her legs wobbled underneath her weight with her terror. Tara pounded on another door, she couldn't stay there long either though as looking back the way she had come she saw the two tall creatures gliding after her, their ugly lackey's trailing behind them.

Tara did her best to hurry away the doors she had knocked on remaining firmly closed as the occupants inside cowered in fear as they wondered if they were about to suffer the same fate as those mentioned in the paper. She tried to yell for help, but no sound came out, her voice still locked away; leaving her helpless as those inside the dorms feared that the one pounding on their doors was the that had killed so savagely the night before. She looked behind her to see the Gentlemen much closer than before and she hurried her steps. Making it to a stairway she hurried up them. Her heart pounding so harshly in her chest that she feared it might beat right out of her chest!

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Angelus turned away from Buffy as he saw her break free of the minions hold, turning his gaze to the one that had attacked him from behind. Buffy spun on her heel to face the minion, her arms swinging out to backhand the demon sharply, who was evidentially surprised by her strength. The minion swung out at her clumsily, its blow she was very easily able to dodge. Kicking its leg harshly, forcing the demon to its knees. Reaching out Buffy quickly grasped its head and twisted hearing and feeling the bones in its neck break, releasing it the demons body fell to the ground and satisfied that it was dead and would be giving her no more trouble.

She turned to see how Angelus faired, stepping lightly towards him as his blow knocked the demon solidly to the ground blood spilling from its mouth as it looked up at them from its back. Buffy gently placed a hand gently on Angelus' arm, drawing his gaze to her, his body stilling as he paused in his next attack on the sneaky snivelling coward. The minions gaze went to its companion, before looking back up at them. It scrambled up to its feet giving them a last look, before it ran… fearing for its life. Buffy turned her gaze up to Angelus, a look on her face that had Angelus smiling at her. With an over exaggerated movement Angelus motioned for her to lead the way. Buffy couldn't help the smile that curled up her lips at his action finding it endearing and amusing, before she gave chase to the minion that she felt sure would lead them to its home and the other demons that they were hunting that night.

Angelus followed quickly after her, his face shifting back to his human visage as he ran easily beside her, the both of them keeping the Gentlemen's minion in their sight, an easy feat when chasing after a demon that seemed to have to lumber in its steps even when it had to make haste.

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Riley cautiously entered the lowest level of the clock tower, his eyes taking a moment to adjust to the darkness of the chamber he had stepped into. Glancing around he cautiously began walking into the chamber, unaware that he was being watched from the darkness as he caught sight of a stairway and turned his feet towards it. He'd barely reached the stairs when he was jumped from behind by something strong, his body sprawling against the stairs he had wanted to go up, his rifle skittering across the floor away from him uselessly. Riley pushed himself away from the stairs and spun around to face what had rushed him and jumped back again. His hand reached down for his boot; closing around the handle of a baton.

Pulling it out of his boot he flicked his wrist sharply extending the collapsing baton to its full length as he started intently at the thing that had rushed him from behind. The demon closed the distance again, but this time was halted in its aggressive attack by the feel of the baton slamming against its head. Riley beat it across its prominent large head, before he swung the baton downwards, slamming it against the back of the demons leg. The blow knocked the demon to its back, Riley went to finish off the downed demon only to have a second demon jumped him from behind in much the same fashion as the first.

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Tara raced up the stairs turning into a hall full of doors once again and immediately began banging on them urgently, her breaths escaping her in terrified gasps as she continued to look behind her, just waiting for the creatures that were chasing her to appear once again in the hall.

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Willow, who was still awake doing research on the Gentlemen on her laptop as she sat on her bed, looked up from her computer as she heard the banging and the sound of quickly moving feet. She hesitated a short moment as she contemplated what to do, before she put her laptop aside and slowly got to her feet. Swallowing thickly as she hesitantly moved towards the door wondering what was happening out in the hall and not entirely sure that she wished to see it.

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Tara pounded firmly at a door, determined to get the person inside to open up and let her in before the demons that were chasing her caught up to her once again. To her relief the door began to swing open and for a bright moment she thought that she was saved, only to see a third tall impeccably dressed demon standing in the door grinning at her horribly as it stood staring at her a bloody heart clutched in one of its long fingered hands. Tara stumbled back her eyes and mouth wide with horror. Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, she looked back the way she came to see to her horror that the two that were chasing her with their loping lackey's coming up behind them. Upon seeing her however the two lackey's sped up, over taking their masters to do the grunt work of catching her for one of their scalpels. Turning swiftly Tara bolted down the hall making as much noise as she could manage.

She looked back over her shoulder to see how far or close behind her they were, just as Willow got the courage to open her door and step out into the hall to see what was going on. Tara who was still looking behind her slammed into Willow sending the both of them tumbling to the ground, their body's brushing against the door to Willow's door, forcing it to shut on them. Both girls scrambled up to their feet; Willow catching sight of just what Tara was running from hurried down the hall with her, the demons far too close for either of them to want to pause and try to open the door to the dead ended room that was Willow's door. besides the lackey's would probably just break down the door.

The two hurried down the hall as fast their legs could carry them; Willow limping slightly, having hurt her leg in the collision with the terrified blond. They made it to a staircase, this one leading back down the building. Quickly the two mounted the stairs and hurried back down, both of them wanting to put more distance between them and their pursuers. The lackey's hard on their heels as they moved after them as quickly as they could.

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Riley managed to push away the demon that was holding him up against a row of barrels; pushing the demon away far enough to be able to effect a back handed punch to the demons face with the fist that was curled firmly around the baton he was using as a weapon. Riley was about to continue his assault on the demon when the first demon that had attacked him got back up to its feet and ran at him, slamming into Riley, slamming him up against a platform with one of its meaty arms. The two fell to the floor, Riley's baton slipping from between his fingers to go spinning across the floor far out of Riley's reach.

Looked around him, desperate for a weapon as the demon tried its best to pin him firmly to the ground, catching sight of his rifle that looked to be within his reach. Riley managed to pull his arm free and reached for the weapon, his fingers grasping at air as the tips of them brushed the weapon but not quiet able to close around it.

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Buffy and Angelus ran after the demon that was heading straight for the clock tower. She saw the minion race through the door and she sped up her pace leaving Angelus behind for a moment as she moved with swift feet. Angelus watched her appreciatively his steps slowing slightly as he couldn't help but admire the way she moved, each of her movements graceful and strong.

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Riley glanced away from the weapon as he heard the sound of feet entering the clock tower and his eyes widened at seeing a third demon entering the clock tower as he wondered just how on earth he was supposed to deal with three when he was having enough trouble with the two that had been here to begin with. He didn't have to wonder long though as a loud crash sounded. Buffy broke through a boarded up part of the wall, landing on her feet her eyes quickly taking in the demons in the room.

The minion that she had been chasing turned to face her and rushed at her seeing no other recourse now that she had found its masters hideout. Buffy blocked a blow it sent at her as Riley managed to get a grip on his weapon and rolls up to his feet as the demon that had been pinning to the ground had jumped off of him at the crashing sound. Buffy kicked the minion she had been chasing away from her, before turning her attention to another one of them that was rushing towards her. Bracing herself, Buffy thrust the demon away from her with a powerful shove using the demons own momentum against him as her shove sent the demon barrelling backwards and its back hit firmly against a wall, breaking an old shelve that had been mounted on the wall, the old wood easily snapping at being treated so roughly.

Riley spun as he felt something coming up behind him, using the butt of his rifle to club the demon powerfully in the head as the demon that had released him before, took notice of his again as moved to try and hold him once again, knocking the demon firmly to the ground. Buffy and Riley sensing movement behind them both spun around on their heels to face a movement that they considered a possible threat. Buffy swiftly unslinging the crossbow that had been slung over her back by the strap that was attached to it, raising it up to eyelevel, her finger resting comfortably over the trigger. Only to pause her eyes wide in shock and surprise as she stared at the end of an oddly shaped rifle, her gaze widening further as she looked swiftly beyond the weapon to see the man wielding the weapon. _'Riley?'_ She thought shocked, _'What was Riley doing here… carrying a gun?'_ She thought momentarily forgetting that she was in the middle of saving the town once again.

The moment stretched on for a long moment as the two continued to look at each other both as shocked as the other. Riley's hands wobbled on the weapon as his thoughts stemmed in the same fashion as Buffy's as he took in the wooden crossbow that was fully loaded with a quail… that was pointed directly at his heart. Angelus growled silently from where he stood watching, having entered through the door and watched Buffy moved, more than ready to jump in if she needed him to. Striding forward with a purpose, drawing both Buffy's and Riley's gaze, Riley began lowering his weapon, his senses becoming overwhelmed at not only seeing Buffy here, but her boyfriend as well.

Angelus reached them and with a quick movement that Riley didn't see coming but Buffy saw the whole of. Angelus grasped the gun Riley had dared to aim at his future mate. Bringing it up with a strong movement ramming the gun up slamming the weapon up into Riley's face. A sense of satisfaction filling him as he scented Riley's blood fill the air as it spill from his now broken nose. Riley fell to the floor and Buffy began lowering her crossbow as she gave Angelus a look that clearly said 'did you have to?' Angelus merely shrugged at her, his gaze going down to the boy, wishing more than ever to see the boy dead instead of just fallen to the ground, where he lay staring up at them dumbly still. Movement caught their attention and Buffy and Angelus quickly burst into movement again much to Riley's surprise. The two moved with a fluidness and grace that left him a bit envious of their agility as lay still stunned on the ground.

He saw Buffy hit one with the butt end of her crossbow, before she kicked out behind her at one that was lumbering up behind her, without so much as turning her head to face the demon that was trying to sneak up on her. Turning his gaze from Buffy he watched as Angelus was tackled by one and was sent sprawling to the ground, making Riley feel somewhat relieved that he wasn't the only one to have been knocked around by the demons, but it was a feeling that fled him quickly as no sooner had Angelus been knocked down, that he had kicked the demon off him, with so powerful a movement as to send the demon flying high in the air, before it came hurtling back down to land in what looked to be a quiet painful manner on the platform.

His breath caught in his throat as Buffy spun around to face him, her hazel gaze landing on him for a moment, before it looked beyond him and without hesitating a beat she raised the crossbow up and squeezed the trigger, freeing the bolt as it shot through the air and landed in something with a soft thunk. Looking in that direction his eyes widened at seeing that a forth demon that had made an appearance had been coming up behind him, before he could move, his gaze was drawn back to Buffy who had grabbed a rope that was dangling from the ceiling and swung herself at the demon that hadn't been as put off by the quail in its thigh like she had hoped. Her feet landed firmly in the demons chest, and Riley watched stunned into stillness once again as the demon was sent flying backwards, its back hitting against a thick post, breaking right through it to Riley's continued shock. The demon kept sailing backwards until it crashed against a shelf, breaking that as well, before it finally fell to the ground.

Riley watched Buffy completely stunned and awed as she released the rope and swung the crossbow off her back once again, unloaded. She used the crossbow to club a demon under the chin, forcing it to stumble back. Riley watched as Buffy was grabbed from behind and he glanced over at Angelus who had an angry sneer on his face that spoke of violence that he intended to dish out to the demon who was attacking his girl, but he was busy with a persistent one that didn't seem to want to stay down. Riley quickly rolled up onto his feet, his nose still throbbing as he raised his rifle up to his shoulder as the demon that had grabbed Buffy shoved her away, slamming her up against a wall. Buffy quickly rolled to face the advancing demon, her hands tightening around the crossbow that she hadn't let go of prepared to throw it at the demon to gain her some more time, but before she could the demon seemed to seize up for a moment, its hands curling and twitching before it fell to the ground, downed by an electric blast fired from Riley's weapon.

Buffy turned her gaze to Riley to see him holding his assault rifle still up to his shoulder, a small amount of smoke coming from the strangely tipped end. Buffy nodded her thanks briefly before she scrambled to her feet, her gaze going to Angelus to make sure that he was doing ok, a smile curling up her lips as she saw him pounding on the demon that had attacked him with a fury that almost made her feel sorry for the poor demon… almost.

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Giles stood in the kitchen of his apartment his nose buried in a book as he stirred a cup of steaming tea, dropping the spoon to the table he picked up the mug and moved to exit his kitchen only to bump shoulders with Spike who was entering the kitchen. The peroxide blond having made his way over a little after nightfall, the fact that he was getting free food whilst staying here drawing him back every time despite how often he thought of wanting to leave the house that all the white hats frequented. He opened the fridge and grabbed out the novelty mug that he had been designated. Shutting the fridge door he brought the mug to his lips and quickly began gulping down the cold blood, to hungry to be bothered with heating it up. As he lowered the drained mug from his lips, his face hard with the ridges of the demon a blood moustache staining his upper lip.

He made his way out of the kitchen walking between the couch where Anya was sleeping soundly an open book laying across her stomach and the table, wanting to reach the free sofa. Just as he was walking past her Anya shifted in her sleep, rolling onto her side facing him, causing the book to fall to the floor. Spike hesitated a short moment, before he bent down and picked up the book. At that moment Xander entered the living room, his gaze going directly to Anya, who for a moment he thought was just sleeping peacefully, but in that moment Spike straightened up as he put the book on the table, his face still fully ridged and the blood still staining his upper lip. Spike feeling his gaze on him looked up at Xander who was giving him a look full of murder and for a moment he was confused until he looked down at the still sleeping Anya and realized what it must look like as he was still sporting the face of the demon.

Spike shook his head vigorously, mouthing the word 'no', before Xander raced towards him, Xander leaped over the couch waking Anya the action rocked the couch slightly. Xander tackled Spike, bring the shocked vampire to the ground where he began beating on him with an angry fire fuelled by the love that he had been hesitant to admit to Anya. Anya got to her feet watching as for a moment as her lover sat on Spike chest pinning him down as he continuously punched with his right fist as Giles and Olivia enter the living room from another part of the condo, both taking in the scene with surprised eyes. Anya stood and quickly moved to Xander and touched him on the shoulder a couple of times trying to draw his attention, when she finally did, Xander dropped Spike and jumped to his feet a relieved smile curling up his lips as he took Anya into his arms and kissed her deeply, before pulling back somewhat to look her over and check to see if she was really ok.

Anya gave him a puzzled look for a moment before shrugging it off, not caring as to what had happened between Spike and Xander only thrilled to see his affection for her so openly displayed. Spike got up shaking his head, before looking over at Xander and Anya that were still half embracing. Xander looked over at Spike a slightly guilty expression on his face for jumping straight down Spike's throat before shrugging as he turned his attention back to Anya. Spike rolled his eyes in annoyance as he gave his head a slight shake as he propelled himself completely to his feet. Olivia looked away from the couple for a moment as she smiled up at Giles, touched by the display of affection Xander had shown, before she turned her gaze back to the two and suddenly wished that she hadn't as Anya made a crude gesture with her fingers, clearing indicating that they should go off and have sex. Xander nodded and wrapped his arm around her slim shoulders and they head towards the door, leaving behind a room full of disgusted or in Spike's case disgruntled faces.

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Tara and Willow made it off the flight of stairs; Tara now trying to help the still limping Willow along as they looked around for a place to go, their ears picking up the loud steps of the lackey's as they continued to chase them. Seeing a door up ahead of them the hurried towards that, moving as fast as they could whilst Tara had to help Willow move. They made it through the door and quickly locked it behind them no sooner had they locked it then one of the lackey's slammed up against the door trying to get at them. Both girl gasp with fear as the door shuddered against the impact, clearly not going to hold long against the lackey's brute strength.

Willow looked around the laundry room that they had locked themselves into, looking for anything that they could use to barricade the door. Seeing a soda machine in the middle of the room by a pillar, she hurried towards it. throwing her weight against it she tried to manually push it towards the door, Tara falling in beside her to try and help move thing machine, but it was too heavy for even the both of them to move even an inch, not even the adrenaline that was pumping through them helping. Willow gave up her chest heaving from the exertion, taking a step back only to put her weight on her injured leg, causing her to lose her balance and fall in a heap with a wince of pain. Tara going to her side, kneeling beside her hoping that Willow was ok. Willow glanced over at Tara for a short moment as she pondered whether it was a good idea to try what she was thinking of in front of Tara, before the lackey slammed up against the door again, breaking the glass pane of the door. The thought of dying at the hands of the demons looking to carve out their hearts making her decision for her.

Focusing her gaze on the soda machine she frowned in concentration as she stared at it intently. A short moment later the machine began to shake as Willow's magic tried to get it to move and she managed to move it a mere inch, before she had to stop exhausted from the mere effort of doing that much. Tara who had watched the whole thing, slowly reached out her hand and intertwined it with Willow's. Their gazes meeting and a clear understanding gripped them and as one they turned to look at the machine together, frowns of concentration on both of their faces and to both their surprise the machine practically flew across the room with hardly any effort at all this time as they worked together. The machine crashed against the doorway and they looked at it in relief for a moment, believing that they would be safe now with the soda machine barricading the door for them. They turned their gazes back to each other their hands remaining intertwined as they looked at each other, neither of them wanting to lose the connect that they were sharing in that moment.

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Buffy ducked as one of the minions went to smash a barrel over her head. The barrel instead crashing over one of it comrade's head. Quickly straightening up Buffy grabbed the demon that was struggling to get the barrel off its head and threw him into the one that had wielded the barrel, before springing away to stand in the middle of the room. Glancing behind her when she felt movement behind her only to relax as it was Angelus coming to join her in the middle of the room. Her gaze landed on Riley who club a demon over the head sending it to the ground, he gave it another wack to be sure that it would stay down a bit longer.

Buffy looked away from Riley when Angelus touched her arm. Looking up at him questioningly, she saw him gesture towards something. Following his arm her gaze landed on a staircase where one of the minions where quietly trying to slip away to the upper level. Buffy turned her gaze back to Angelus. "Will you be right here?" She mouthed.

Angelus nodded as he elbowed one of the demons in the face, before turning to look at her again. "I'll be up as soon as I can." He mimed. Buffy nodded and quickly moved across the room heading for the staircase. Pausing just before she mounted the stairs she looked about the room again, her gaze focusing on Riley making sure that he was alright. Seeing that he was holding his own against his demon, she quickly moved up the stairs.

She moved passed the pendulum that was slowly swinging back and forth to the ticking of the clock. Making up to the top of the tower she slowed as she made it into the room, her gaze focusing on the table where seven jars were arranged in a circle around an ornate box, taking note of the fact that only two were left empty now. Buffy let out a silent startled cry as she was kicked from behind by one of the minions that had been waiting up on this level of the clock tower. Before she could fully regain herself three of the ugly minions surround her and take hold of her so that she couldn't move. She attempted to struggle, but paused in her efforts as she looked up to see three of the six Gentlemen standing before her; the tallest at the front of the three his hand delicately holding a scalpel.

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Angelus looked from the demon he was wailing on as he heard a thump from above them and a moment later the scent of Buffy's fear reached his nose. It was a scent he would be able to pick up even in the midst of a herd of fungus demons. Glancing about the room once again, he hoisted the demon he was fighting off its feet before he threw it into two others that were advancing towards him. Laying up most of them for the moment Angelus made a quick run for the staircase, not caring in the slightest about the fate of Riley… who was dressed suspiciously like an Initiative operative.

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Buffy stared at the approaching Gentlemen, fear clear to see on her face as the leader was bending towards her scalpel getting closer as she tried to struggle free of the three pairs of gripping hands that were successfully pinning her on her knees, her arms held out to the sides to expose her chest for the looming scalpel. She stilled though as the Gentleman with the scalpel paused, a look that could almost resemble surprise on its face, its hands floundered in front of him and for a second Buffy was concerned the scalpel would cut her by accident, but a second later the gentleman was thrown to the side taking the Gentlemen that had been floating on his right with him as they flew across the room. Buffy looked up at Angelus relieved, her heart beating easier in her chest at seeing him; knowing that he had saved her. Angelus winked at her before looking to the remaining Gentlemen, who was looking at him, not at all sure what to do, its hands fluttering at its sides.

Angelus didn't get a chance to do anything though as a blast of electricity hit him sending him flying back away from the two, drawing Buffy's and Angelus' gaze to the entrance by the stairs to see Riley standing there his gun still primed and aimed. Riley squeezed the trigger again, this time sending the blast of energy into one of the demons that were holding Buffy down, blasting it away from her, freeing one of her arms. Immediately Buffy struggled once again, wrestling free of the grips of the two remaining minions that couldn't contain her strength with only the two of them. Immediately she attacked the two, before ducking as a forth that had been coming over to replace the third that had been blasted away, threw a punch at her. Kicking out at it, she caught it in the stomach, before she backed both of the two that were in front of her.

Behind her Angelus stood still for a moment as did Riley as the two stared each other down for a moment, neither being able to help themselves as they sized the other up. Hearing a crash Angelus turned his gaze away from Riley his gaze searching out Buffy to see her struggling against three once again as they all worked together to try and throw her over a railing that was there to prevent people from falling down to the bottom level in amongst the bell and pendulum that was swinging back and forth. Angelus rushed towards her, whilst Riley attempted to fire another shot at the demons attacking Buffy only for his Rifle to malfunction on him. The demon that he had brought down before with a blast from his rifle came charging at him, forcing him to deal with it instead of attempting to help Buffy like he wanted to do.

Angelus punched one of the demons away, and Buffy having an arm once again free, used it to punch another of the demons forcing it away from her. Kicking away the last demon she straightened herself up and moved away from the railing they had been trying to force her over. The Gentlemen stood to the side their ever present grins still on their faces, but there was a worried look about them now as they watched the intruders fighting rather successfully against their minions. Angelus grabbed the one he had punched away from Buffy and sent it vaulting over the railing, it fell silently but there was a thonk as it hit against the swinging pendulum. Buffy ducked down avoiding a punch that was aimed for her head. Swinging her leg out she swept its legs out from under it, before she swung herself around and brought down her other leg down heavily on its gut.

Jumping back up to her feet Buffy turned towards the table that was almost like mini shrine with the canning jars placed around the table in a circle. Her eyes landed on the box in the centre… the same ornate box the little girl had been holding so carefully in her hands and she suddenly realized what she had to do to get her voice back! She made to reach for the box, only for one of the Gentlemen that had gotten ballsy and had been cautiously moving forward throughout the battle that were taking place around them. Scalpel in hand he sliced at Buffy from behind making her cry out in silent pain her hand recoiling from the box she had been reaching towards.

Angelus stiffened as he scented Buffy's blood in the air. Looking over at her as he fought to keep his face from changing, he was in time to see her reaching towards her back a Gentlemen retreating in its strangely graceful way, the scalpel it was holding shining wetly with the red of her blood on the blade. A moment later Buffy who was still stunned by the sudden pain in her back and the feel of the warm liquid seeping from her wound was tackled by one of the minions, thrown up against some ropes, before it grabbed her around the neck and shoulders from behind. Angelus growled silently, his eyes shining amber for a brief moment. He was about to go to her when two of the minions lunged at him, preventing him from going to her aid as they struggled to keep him at bay.

Riley spun at the sounds of commotion and saw Buffy who'd been a handful for three before was struggling to get away from one now. His gaze going to one of the Gentlemen as it moved back to the others the scalpel still bloody in its hand and his eyes widened in alarm as he turned his gaze back to Buffy completely unconcerned with Angelus as he fought against the two that had swarmed him. He didn't have long to just stand and be concerned though as another of the lackey's came at him. Using the butt of his gun he clubbed at the demon, sending it to the ground, but he knew that it would just end up getting up again. Buffy watched him fighting with demon as others closed in around him, she struggled with her captor that was trying to pull her away to somewhere she didn't know, but she wasn't going to go, not when she was so close to winning… if only she could get to that box.

Buffy struggled forward, sweat beading on her brow as she struggled against the demon, the drying blood crusting around the deep wound the scalpel wielding Gentlemen had given her. The demon threw her back up against the large spoon of rope, knocking the breath out of Buffy for a moment, before it grabbed her again and tried to drag her away, but Buffy clutched onto the spoon, her eyes focused on the box that was on the table. It was so close, but so far… there was no way that she would be able to reach it. Look around she saw Angelus battling his way towards her, throwing punches and kicks that would have seriously injured any other demon, but these ones just kept getting back up as if nothing could kill them. Her gaze went back to Riley who had wound a length of dangling rope around one of the demons neck, before clubbing it once again with the butt of his rifle. Letting the demon fall to the floor at his feet. Buffy banged her arms against the spoon of rope gaining both Angelus' and Riley's attention.

Buffy pointed to the table urgently curling one of her hands into a fist and bringing it down, struggling to keep her perch as the demon holding her pulled at her. Buffy watched hopefully as Riley seemed to get what she wanted as he moved towards the table in front of them quickly raising the gun high, she watched as he brought the gun down towards the table, only for her face to fall as he smashed a completely useless blue vial that was next to the box, that she had wanted destroyed. Riley frowned at the lack of approval from Buffy as she rolled her eyes in annoyance as she kicked back at the demon that was trying to pull her way. Trying again Buffy this time pantomimed opening a lid with her hands, for a moment Riley still looked confused, before his eyes lighted on the box that had been next to the vial. But the moment he realized what she wanted was the moment he was knocked off his feet as the demon he had taken down just before grabbed his ankle and yanked, sending his gun spinning across the floor. Buffy let her head fall against the spoon feeling defeated for a moment before she heard the scrape of metal against wood and she looked up to see Angelus picking up the gun, the two demons that were trying to waylay him hanging off him as he determinedly moved towards the table.

Buffy pantomimed the action once again, just in case Angelus hadn't been able to see it the first time she'd done it. Not there was much now to smash on the table. Buffy held her breath for a moment in anticipation as Angelus reached the table despite the Gentlemen's lackey's best efforts at keeping him away from the table. With a smooth quick motion Angelus brought the butt of the gun down, smashing it against the box, breaking the ornate wood box into small little pieces. Immediately hundreds of small misty clouds shot up into the air and began spinning about the clock tower, before most shot off out into the deepening night to find their owners. Buffy gasped as hers slipped back into her mouth, the feeling kind of strange as the mist slid down her throat and settled there. As all their voice returned the minions released them backing away in fear as their masters looked on with horror as well as the voices they had so carefully locked away escaped them.

Buffy looked around the clock tower for a moment taking in the room, everyone's gaze on her as Riley got to his feet a hand at his throat as his voice settled back into his vocal cords, a mere moment later Buffy took a deep breath and let out a calm, but long winded scream as she along with Riley and Angelus watched as the demons writhed on the floor in silent agony at the noise and the Gentlemen raised their long fingered hands to their ears trying to block out the deadly noise, but after a moment their arms fell back to their sides shaking uncontrollably as they lost complete control of their bodies. A moment later all three Gentlemen that were present stilled a fraction of a moment before their heads exploded.

Buffy grimaced as she raised a hand and wiped some exploded Gentlemen brain off her cheek, and picked another bit out of her hair, shaking her fingers gingerly to get the clingy bits off her fingers. She looked up as Angelus stood over her, his hand extended towards her. Buffy took it without hesitation, letting him pull her to her feet. "Where's Riley?" She asked, as she looked behind Angelus to where Riley had been when she had last saw him. Beyond glad that she could actually ask instead of just mime.

Angelus shrugged at this moment unconcerned about the boy's whereabouts. "Don't know, must have slipped off. How about we go get cleaned up?"

Buffy nodded as they began making their way out of the clock tower that was looking much worse for wear after their little visit. "Sounds good." She murmured as they descended the stairs.

Once they were outside Buffy took a deep breath glad that the smell of dead demon hadn't followed them outside… but after getting sprayed by demon bits she definitely felt the need for a long hot shower! Buffy glanced over at Angelus as they walked side by side, her hand still in his as they moved down the street heading towards his mansion. "So, there's this question that I've been meaning to ask you." She began keeping to the promise she had made to herself.

Angelus cocked his head towards her, a funny feeling settling in him that they were finally getting to the reason behind her sudden appearance at his mansion a few nights ago. "Oh?"

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"So, what's all this?" Willow asked as she re-entered her dorm room to find Buffy looking over things that she had splayed out on her bed.

Buffy looked up at Willow as she came a little further into the room to stand beside her. "I'm trying to decide what to leave at Angelus'… I asked him if he'd mind giving me a drawer for some of my stuff last night."

"And he agreed?" Willow murmured a little timidly, not wanting to anger her friend.

Buffy nodded with a happy smile. "He said that I could have half the wardrobe if I wanted." She said, unable to help her excitement, even as Willow gave her a surprised look. "But I said a drawer was all I wanted. I mean things are nice… even great between us at the moment, but I'm not ready to move in with him… besides it's much easier to get to classes from here." Buffy rambled slightly as Willow's expression turned relieved, not having wanted Buffy to move out on her… especially when she knew just how hard it was to find a roomie that you didn't want to murder in their sleep.

"I'm happy for you." Willow said slowly, finding that she actually meant it for the first time in a long while. "Have fun sorting through that stuff." She offered, before turning to go out again.

Buffy looked over at her. "You going out somewhere?" She asked curiously.

Willow nodded a little nervously, not fully understanding where the nervousness came from, but still it was there. "Yeah, I'm just meeting up with someone. I'll be back a bit later though." She assured her friend before she turned and hurried out the door, closing it quickly behind her, before she moved off down the hall, not wanting to be late in meeting Tara.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow sat next to Tara in a University lounge area. "You were looking for me?" Willow murmured surprised and touched that she'd braved the night just to come see her.

Tara nodded nervously and a little embarrassedly as she bit her lower lip for a short moment. "I thought maybe we could do a spell… make people talk again." She admitted a little sheepishly, feeling her nervousness begin to ebb away as Willow smiled at her; silently encouraging. "I-I'd seen you in the group. The Wicca group you were… you were," Tara stuttered. "Different than them. I mean they didn't seem to know…"

"What they were talking about." Willow finished for her in full agreement with the pretty, shy blond.

Tara nodded a smile curling up her lips. "I think if they saw a witch they would run the other way." She murmured with a small laugh.

Willow curled herself up on the cushion of the chair she was in, drawing her legs up onto it. fully intending to settle in, excitement filling her at having finally found the real deal in amongst all the fakes and phoneys that dared call themselves Wiccans. "How long have you been practicing?" She asked.

"Always," Tara replied immediately. "I mean, since I um, was little… my-my mom used to, she um, had a lot of power, like you." Tara murmured as she looked up at Willow from beneath her lashes.

"Oh, I'm not much…" Willow flounder surprised and flattered by the compliment. "I don't have much in the way of power." She murmured and Tara smiled up at her. "Really," Willow tried to impress upon her new friend. "I mean most of my potions come out… soup. Also spells going awry, friends in danger… I'm definitely nothing special."

"No, you are." Tara assured her, looking Willow directly in the eye as she said it. Her gaze full of meaning and complete belief, before the moment passed and she looked away embarrassed by her unintended forwardness.

Willow smiled shyly at Tara touched by the belief she'd seen in her eyes. "Well, I thought we made a pretty good team… not getting killed and all." She said, drawing Tara's gaze back to her, the blond embarrassment forgotten almost as quickly as it had come. "With some soda machine, boom!" Willow exclaimed, not making too much sense in her excitement as she recalled how it had felt to be able to move the soda machine with Tara. "Pretty cool. Seems like you're kinda powerful." Willow complemented.

Tara shook her head immediately. "I'd like to be." She admitted. "I feel like I'm stuck. Like I'm at the door and it won't open."

"I know exactly what you mean." Willow murmured softly. The two meet each other's gaze again, their expressions friendly and open as they felt the beginnings of a bond of friendship forming between them.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles leaned back in his couch with Olivia curled up against his chest, his fingers stroking through her hair. The two of them alone for the moment, Spike having been shipped off back to Xander's the moment their voices had all returned to them. "So, would you say this was uh, your best visit ever?" He asked a little uncertainly.

Olivia was silent for a moment as she gather her thoughts. "All the time you used to talk to me about witchcraft and darkness and the like – I just thought you were being pretentious."

"Oh, I was. I was also right." Giles murmured his hand continuing to move over her hair gently.

"So everything you told me was true?" Olivia asked curiously.

"Well, no um," Giles muttered a little self-consciously. "I wasn't actually one of the original members of Pink Floyd. But the monster stuff, yes."

Olivia shivered slightly as she shifted a little closer to Giles warmth. "Scary." She murmured softy.

Giles hand paused over her hair. "Too scary?" He asked.

Olivia hesitated in giving her answer for a moment. "I don't know." She murmured truthfully, she had no idea if she could handle the kind of things that were in his life. Giles hand picked up its movements once again as he stared thoughtfully over his apartment, not really seeing it as he wondered where things would end up with them now.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy stood over her bed still looking down at what she had left on her bed, the rest that had been sorted in a pile on the other side of her bed waiting to be put away once again. A small overnight bag on her bed now as well. She picked up a small bottle of perfume that she liked and placed it gingerly in the bag that already had something's in it, before she took it back out again and placed it back on the bed… completely undecided about adding it to the bag that was being filled with stuff that was going in her drawer over at Angelus' mansion once he cleared one out for her. There was a knock on the door and she glanced up to see it slowly opening as Riley peeked his head in a bandage covering his nose that was black and blue from the hit Angelus had given it with Riley's own rifle. "Hi." Riley greeted nervously as he opened the door fully and stepped in, taking her silence as an 'ok' to come in.

"Hi." Buffy replied her arms crossing under her breasts as she looked at Riley apprehensively, not sure what to expect from him, now that she had a good idea what he was.

Riley walked over and sat on Willow's bed, his hands clasped between his knees to keep them from fidgeting with the nervousness that he felt as he sat in front of the girl he liked. Buffy slowly sat on her bed, moving the overnight bag she was packing to the side so that she could do so. "Well, Uh, I was kind of hoping that we could talk."

Buffy was silent for a moment not sure what to do about the situation. "I guess that we probably should." She murmured carefully after a moment… wishing that she had Giles here beside her so that he could handle this instead… The silence stretched between them as both had no real clue what to say, both bound by secrecy that had their tongues tied in knots as they pondered what they could say and what they shouldn't… or if this conversation should be taking place at all…

**A/N:** Well, that's Chapter 10. I hope that you all enjoyed it. I didn't realize how much of a challenge it would be to write scenes where the characters couldn't actually use their voices. Please let me know what you think :)


	11. Chapter 11 doomed

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer of any of the characters mentioned in the cannon.

**A/N:** Yay, Chapter 11 out already! A big thank you to everyone who reviewed, I'll be getting review responses out again shortly :) Another **SMUT WARNING!** In this chapter (I am spoiling you aren't I? lol) That being said I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

On another note: If you are interested in getting sneak peaks, info on how my chapters are going, what i'm working on and other such story related stuff, let me know in a review or PM and I'll give you the link to my new face book profile which is under the name Frostysixhundred Fanfictionnet :)

**CHAPTER 11**

**Doomed**

Buffy shifted slightly on her mattress as the silence stretched on and seemed to get heavy and oppressive between them. She lifted her gaze from the carpet just in front of her feet to glance up at Riley who did the exact same thing a moment later causing their gazes to meet for a brief moment before Riley skirted his gaze away uncomfortably. Riley chewed on his lower lip as his gaze landed on the carpet once again as he thought on everything he'd seen the night before, the way she'd moved with such deadly grace; a single blow sending one of those ugly pink demon things soaring backwards to crash solidly into a wall… he'd never seen anything like it from a human woman before… her strength was unbelievable… almost like a hostile's… his nose that was bandaged twinging painfully as his mind ran over everything that he had seen… things that had kept him up late into the night as he couldn't stop thinking about it… wondering just what he'd born witness to…

Buffy sighed sick of sitting there and getting nowhere, her gaze landing on her overnight bag that she'd been in the middle of packing when Riley had come in about 10minutes ago now… a bag that she wanted to finish packing…

Turning her gaze from the half packed bag, she looked back at Riley who was still looking at the patch of carpet that he deemed safe for his gaze, the pensive expression on his face not going unnoticed by her. "Somebody should speak before one of us graduates." She murmured, trying to be teasing to break the tension. Whilst also trying to give him a less than subtle hint that he should begin… not wanting that task to fall to her as she still couldn't figure out a good way to start it… everything she came up with seemed stupid… not to mention crazy…

Riley raised his gaze from the carpet once again, his gaze settling on Buffy this time instead of skirting away like it had been since he'd sat down on Willow's bed. Getting up off the bed he paced for a moment; highly aware of Buffy's hazel gaze following him as she waited, her desire for him to start becoming more and more obvious with each passing moment.

Spinning around on his heal to face her, his expression deadly serious as he looked her directly in the eye. "What are you?" He blurted out, any thought he'd had of trying to be more polite with his phrasing disappearing the moment he opened his mouth. The question just slipping out past his lips as he waited with baited breath for the answer; silently hoping that she wasn't something he'd have to capture for the safety of the world…

Buffy frowned affronted by the blunt rudeness of the question. "Capricorn, on the cusp of Aquarius." She quipped stiffly as she continued to frown at him. "You?" She said pointedly as she continued to stare him down.

Riley swallowed and turned his gaze away from Buffy once again as he gathered himself. Exhaling a deep breath, he turned back towards her, his expression apologetic. "Sorry." He apologised as Buffy turned her hurt hazel gaze away from him, the frown still obvious on her pretty face as she stared at the floor once again. "That came out a little blunter than I intended." He explained as paced back and forth once again.

Pausing in his stride once again as he looked down at her, feeling bad that he had said something that had offended her. "It's just…" He began trailing off as he tried to find the words that best described what he'd seen the other night. "You are amazing!" He exclaimed. "Your speed, your strength…" He listed off.

Buffy rolled her eyes at the somewhat star struck look he was levelling on her. "Also passionate, artistic and inquisitive." She added a little sarcastically. "Who are you?" She asked again, her phrasing far more polite than Riley's, who'd talked like she was something less than human."

Riley's gaze turned uncomfortable. "You know who I am." He side stepped. "The rest… what I do…" Riley trailed off, before shaking his head uncomfortably. "I can't tell you." He said firmly, his expression only slightly apologetic.

Buffy fixed him with a firm stare as she got to her feet; her stare determined as she stared him down. "Well, then let me." She murmured as she began to pace in the small space she had. "You're part of some military monster squad that captures demons, vampires," She listed ignoring the growing look of discomfort on Riley's face. "Probably have some official sounding euphemisms for them like… 'unfriendlies' or 'non sapiens'." Buffy said with an eye roll at the idea of having such ridiculous code names for the creatures that went bump in the night as she stopped her pacing so that she was looking up at him once again.

"Hostile Sub Terrestrials." Riley admitted sheepishly, before he could stop himself completely and utterly shocked by just how much she knew about the organisation that was supposed to top secret… no one outside of the operation was supposed to know about it and yet… here Buffy was rattling off facts like it was common knowledge!

But Buffy wasn't finished yet and to Riley's shock and horror she continued on. "So you deliver these… HST's to a bunch of lab coats. Who perform experiments on them, which among other things turn them into harmless little bunnies?" Buffy rattled off, unable to keep at least some of the disgust she felt over doing such a thing. She may kill them… but never had she ever even thought about preforming such life altering experiments on them… experiments that would turn their lives upside down and make it impossible for them to be self-sufficient… as much as she hated Spike… she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him… she'd condone kill him… but not even Spike deserved to be experimented on by a bunch of curious lab coats… not that she'd ever tell Spike that… he was far to annoying to be given such ammunition! "How am I doing so far?" She asked, her gaze meeting Riley's uncomfortable one unflinchingly as she stared up at him silently daring him to deny it.

Riley swallowed thickly. "A little too well." He admitted, still stuck in a mild form of shock.

"Meanwhile by day you pretend to be Riley Finn, corn-fed Iowa boy." Riley looked down feeling suddenly guilty about keeping his secret, secret from the girl that he liked. "Ever been to Iowa, Riley?" She asked.

Riley looked up from the floor sharply. "I am, born and raised." He assured her, before his gaze narrowed slightly. "And hey! Bulletin, I'm not the only one who's been a little less than honest here." He reminded her. His firm un-giving gaze silently reminding her that she had yet to answer his question to his satisfaction.

Buffy deflated slightly, her gaze dropping from his for a moment as she tried to figure out what to say in response. "I thought a professional demon chaser like yourself would have figured it out by now." Buffy replied as she looked back up at him, surprise filling her as Riley continued to look down at her just as confused as before. "I'm The Slayer." She stated, expecting to see enlightenment fill Riley's gaze, but he remained silent as he continued to stare at her his gaze even more confused than before. "Slay-er? Chosen One?" Buffy stated, giving him an 'this should be obvious look' only for Riley to continue looking at her, his brow now furrowed with confusion. "She who hangs out a lot in cemeteries?" Buffy paused for a short moment, hoping that something she'd said would jog a memory in him, only for the confusion to remain. "You're kidding!" She exclaimed, unable to help feeling disgusted at his lack of knowledge… how could he be a professional demon chaser without knowing about 'The Slayer'!

Buffy turned away from him, her gaze going to her half packed bag and stepping towards it, her frustration showing in her every movement. "Ask around. Look it up," Buffy grumbled as she pulled the bag towards her on the bed. "Slayer comma The." She spelled out for him, an annoyed frown darkening her brow as her mind whirled with the confirmed idea that Riley Finn the supposed normal TA was actually one of those army clad, military guys that she'd seen roaming around a few times… getting in her way.

"And you fight demons?" Riley asked in awe, causing Buffy to sigh and turn away from her bag once again, having thought that her not so subtle hint that the conversation was over would send him on his way. "I mean you wailed on those guys."

Buffy shrugged as she crossed her arms over her chest as she stared up at him. "You did pretty well yourself." She admitted.

Riley shrugged off her reluctantly given complement. "But I'm a walking bruise today. You see me with my clothes off and I look like…" Riley trailed off at the raised eyebrow Buffy was giving him and realizing what he'd been saying he flushed a little causing his nose to throb uncomfortably.

"She better not see you with your clothes off." A familiar male voice rumbled from the doorway drawing Riley's gaze, who swallowed thickly at seeing Angelus standing in the doorway, a dark frown on his face. "I mean… I have bruises." Riley finished lamely, as he eyed Angelus a little warily, remembering quiet well just how easily the guy had slammed his own weapon up into his face and broke his nose, before returning his gaze to Buffy who had turned her own gaze to Angelus a small soft smile curling up her lips; a warmth in her gaze that she had never had in them when she looked at him. "I don't see a scratch on you." Riley told her his gaze looking her up and down from head to toe once again, trying to find even the smallest form of a bruise on her tanned skin.

His gaze skirting a little nervously to Angelus as he entered the dorm room, the guys annoyance and anger not going unnoticed by Riley. The man's anger unsettling him for some reason, it wasn't like he couldn't take care of himself… but he'd seen the way the guy had held his own against the pink bandaged demons in the clock tower… a clock tower that had seen better days since they'd visited it. Buffy winced slightly at his false observation, the deep cut she had sustained just under her shoulder blade twinging slightly as she thought about it. True that it was almost healed, but there was no way that she hadn't sustained any injuries the other night; if she wasn't so used to covering up her pain, she was sure that Riley wouldn't be so quick to say that she didn't have a scratch. "You're not looking hard enough." She muttered firmly as she crossed her arms uncomfortably over chest.

"I'm looking pretty hard." Riley informed her, his gaze sweeping over her once again, looking hard for any signs of injury… but again he came up empty… it surprised him that he couldn't as he was finding it hard to even stand completely upright without wincing in pain, his body was that bruised and battered from all the hits it had taken last night. Angelus who had been leaning on Willow's desk behind Riley his arms crossed over his chest, the frown still darkening his brow as he listened carefully, straightened up to his full height and made his way across the dorm room; heading towards his girl. His keen senses picking up just how uncomfortable she was getting with the direction of the conversation… and the way the boy was looking at her. Something that was bothering him as well! Angelus' movement brought Riley's gaze to him and he narrowed it on the man as he made it to Buffy's side his hand coming up to rest on Buffy's slim shoulder. "And just what is your part in all this?" Riley demanded to know. "Who are you in regards to The Slayer?" He asked, the words sounding foreign on his tongue as he still didn't have a clue what that meant… except that it was something that gave her the strength to kick demon ass.

His question brought Angelus' gaze from Buffy to him. Riley swallowed thickly, taken aback by the dark scowl darkening the guy's brow. It was a look that promised violence, as did the sneer that was pulling at his lips. Riley shifted his stance instinctively, his hands curling into fists as wondered if he was about to have a fight on his hands, but Angelus merely sneered at him, his brown eyes boring into him as he stared down at him. "Who I am is none of your concern." Angelus grumbled, as he fought the urge to bare his fangs at the boy who was part of The Initiative; a member of The Initiative that now knew that his girl was The Slayer… something that sat very ill inside of him.

Buffy sensing and feeling the tension in Angelus' body, she raised a hand and placed it over the one Angelus had resting on her shoulder, hoping to calm him down some. Looking up at him, she did her best to offer him a reassuring smile, but Angelus wasn't looking at her, his gaze focused on Riley.

Buffy swallowed worriedly as she recalled the dream she'd had in her psychology class; the fight that had taken place between Angelus and Riley, just before the voice of the little girl had started singing… "Uh," Buffy spoke up as she searched her mind for something to say that would defuse the sudden tension in the room that was so thick that it could be cut with a knife. "Perhaps you should go, Riley." She finally said, a breath of relief escaping her as Riley nodded his reluctant agreement, his eyes glancing back over to Angelus who was still glaring at him angrily, as if he hoped that his mere glare would be even to kill him… but it was enough to make Riley's knees feel weak with fear and he wondered again just what kind of being the guy was to be able to make him feel such intense feelings of fear. His gaze drifted to Buffy once again who didn't seem at all concerned by the fact that her boyfriend looked like he was ready to kill, in fact she was stroking his hand as if there was nothing out of the ordinary at all.

Riley took a step backwards towards the door, but everyone was distracted from the tension in the room when Amy the rat started squeaking shrilly and running around her small cage like crazy, trying to escape the small confines of her cage. The three of them watched the rat for a moment wondering what had gotten her all stirred up. Angelus sniffed the air curiously wondering what had gotten the animal so worked up. He'd only just scented the subtle change in the air when the floor beneath their feet began to shake and knick knacks shook so hard on their perch that they fell to the floor with small thuds. "Quick!" Angelus murmured to Buffy, the hand he had on her shoulder sliding around her back, guiding her towards the open doorframe of Buffy's wardrobe. Holding her close to him as he braced himself in the doorway. Riley doing almost the same thing in the open entrance of the dorm room.

Riley flicked his gaze around the dorm room watching as Buffy's and Willow's possessions shook. His gaze landed on the bag that was lying on Buffy's bed, his gaze following its progress as it slowly shook off its perch on her bed and fell to the floor some of its contents spilling across the floor. A moment later the shaking stopped and Riley stepped out from under the door frame an excited look in his eyes as he looked around the light damage the short low level earthquake had caused. "Wow. That was some ride." He exclaimed, his gaze going to Buffy and consequently Angelus as they continued to stand in the door way, his gaze focusing more on Buffy who was looking decidedly spooked as she allowed Angelus to hold her against him, her face in his direction as she leaned into him; allowing him to see the worried look on her face. "Sorry, I'm so excited." He apologised sheepishly, a hand coming up to scratch at the back of his head. "This is my first earthquake." He explained.

"It's not mine." Buffy murmured lowly as she slowly pulled herself away from Angelus' comforting embrace and stepped out of the doorway she had taken shelter under with Angelus; his presence offering some comfort, but it couldn't stop the feeling of dread that had settled in her stomach the moment the shaking had started… bringing back unwanted memories of facing The Master and lying face down in a small pool of dirty water… the liquid filling her lungs as she helplessly continued to breath sucking in the air instead and slowly drowning… Buffy shuddered slightly and wrapped her arms about herself.

Angelus stepped out of the wardrobe doorway as well, fixing Riley with his steely gaze once again as he came up behind Buffy, getting close enough that his chest brushed up gently against her back, silently reminding her that he was there. "Weren't you just leaving?" He asked pointedly, his tone no more friendly towards the boy then it had been before the earthquake.

Riley opened his mouth, thinking of ignoring the over protective boyfriend in favour of asking Buffy what was wrong, before he thought better of it… and snapped his mouth shut with an audible click. It wasn't that he didn't care anymore, because he did still care; very much so… but now there was an even bigger problem in his way… this whole 'The Slayer' thing… he had to decide just what to do about it. Angelus watched the boy go with a severe gaze until he was out of sight, before he relaxed only slightly as he turned his gaze from the open door to Buffy. "Are you sure that you're alright?" Angelus asked, still sensing her apprehension that had started immediately after the quake had begun.

Buffy nodded and plastered a smile on her face, not wanting to worry Angelus; he already seemed worked up enough over Riley, she didn't want to add her worries to that… not until she knew for certain… "Yeah, I'm fine… but I think after I get this place tidied up I should go talk to Giles." Buffy murmured as she turned and began the task of tidying up the apartment. Whilst Amy the rat stood up on her hind legs as she rested her front legs against the bars of the cage, her little claws curling slightly about them as she twitched her nose at Buffy and Angelus a small little squeak emitting from her as Buffy walked over to her and checked her cage; righting Amy's water dispenser. "Thanks for the warning, Amy." Buffy mumbled softly as Amy went back down on all fours and walked over to her water and began licking at the tip of the dispenser.

Angelus watched Buffy putter around righting things and picking up broken things that had fallen on the floor and broken, a slight frown still darkening his brow. The commando thing had bothered him from the moment he'd first laid eyes on him, but now he had a really bad feeling… after what he had seen the other night and what they had done to his Childe; removing his ability to even feed himself in a decent away… forcing him to rely on people buying him blood… it all sat with him badly especially now that one of those in the organisation knew about Buffy… he had a feeling that Riley Finn knowing that Buffy was The Slayer was going to lead to nothing good. "I really wish that you hadn't said anything to that boy." Angelus grumbled as he moved towards her.

Buffy straightened up, a broken knick knack in her hands, a conflicted expression on her face. "I know… but I couldn't really think of any way out of it… I mean he saw me in action… you in action… I have no idea what we are going to say about you… I mean… you saw what they did to Spike…"

Angelus frowned darkly. "We tell him nothing. It's none of his business!" He growled darkly. Buffy looked up at Angelus, her worry reflected in her hazel eyes as she bit into her lower lip, wishing that she could have thought of another explanation… not in the least bit sure that she could trust Riley with the information she had given him… he was one of them after all… but it had to be better than him thinking that she was a demon… right?

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Spike scowled darkly in irritation, it was the last thing he needed, after everything that he had been put through lately, this was well and truly the icing on the cake! It was bad enough that he had sunken so low as to be living with white hats, but Giles was one thing, but having to put up with the annoyance that was Xander and his amusingly outspoken girlfriend and the constant disturbance that was his parents arguing. There was only so many times that a guy could mock another about the same thing before it got old and boring and now… and now he had to deal with this! Grasping one arm of the big red leather chair that he was using as his bed, he tugged it easily out of the way of a leak from a pipe that was running along the ceiling that had sprung up after the quake had hit the small town. "Sodden sleeping chair is bloody sodden." Spike grumbled sourly, this new tribulation another added annoyance that he didn't need in his unlife right now.

Xander ignored his unwelcome house guest's comment as he set a pan underneath the leak to catch the dripping water temporarily. "The quake just knocked a couple of pipes lose." He murmured as he straightened back up, not all concerned if Spike had to sleep on a wet leather chair for a couple of nights as he looked up at the ceiling assessing the damage that the small quake had done and was glad that the quake hadn't been stronger, or else he could be buried alive under the rest of the house instead of just having wet feet. "There is a wrench hanging up over there by the workbench." Xander informed Spike, pointing in the general direction he knew the said tool to be. "Try tightening the coupling." He requested, before he turned away to continue getting ready for work; hoping to find some dry socks to change into once he got up the stairs.

Spike frowned at Xander's back, not at all appreciating being ordered about by the young pipsqueak that by rights should be cowering in fear of him… and not so long ago would have been… before the blasted chip had been implanted in his brain by those blasted army science rats! "Do I look like a plumber to you?" He growled affronted.

"No," Xander agreed as he swung back around to face Spike. "You look like a big mooch that doesn't lift a finger around here." He grumbled motioning at Spike with one of his arms for emphasis in his annoyance. "But I have to get to work."

Spike rolled his eyes as he followed Xander across the wet basement floor. "Yeah, delivering melted cheese and bread, doing your part to keep America constipated."

Xander turned to face Spike again, making the vampire stop dead in his tracks to keep from running into him. "Mock not. Remember who pays for the plasma around here, pal." Turning back away from Spike, he picked up the wrench he had mentioned before having been making his way over to his workbench, before angling himself back so that he was fully facing the harmless vampire once again. Spike looked down at the wrench as it was held out in front of him, the silent demand that he take it obvious. "You earn your keep, or you don't get kept." Xander wheedled as he continued to hold the wrench out, determined to get his unwelcome house guest to do something helpful around his home. Reluctantly Spike snatched the wrench from the boy's hand, the idea of not getting feed and unable to get it for himself not appealing to him in anyway… much more so than trying his hand at helping out.

Satisfied Xander turned away from Spike as he looked around the basement he was calling home. "When you're done fixing that leak," Xander began as Spike looked down at the slightly weighty wrench that was in his hand, before he looked back up at the annoying demanding boy's head who was conveniently showing his back to him. Hoisting up the wrench Spike went to strike the boy with a solid blow with the wrench only to come up short, almost dropping the wrench as his hands rushed up to clutch at his head as the blinding pain rocketed through his head with a sharp intensity. "Try cleaning up this mess." Xander continued oblivious to the attempt Spike had made on his life. "And doing a little laundry for once wouldn't kill you…" He rattled off as he turned back to face Spike, pausing as he took in the way the peroxide vampire was holding his head in pain and softly groaning as it slowly began to fade. The knowledge that Spike had tried and failed to hurt him making Xander frown. "Unfortunately." He grumbled, before walking passed Spike who glared at him as he slowly raised his head again, the wrench still in his hand, almost mocking Spike with his inability to use it the way he wanted as the chipped vampire looked down at it in annoyance.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy looked around her dorm room one last time, searching for any damages she might have missed in her somewhat hurried clean-up of the dorm. She was alone in the dorm now; Angelus having disappeared a short while after the earth quake, muttering something about checking up on something… though she couldn't really be one hundred precent certain about that as she hadn't been paying all that much attention to him at the time, too lost in her thoughts and fears… she couldn't even remember if she'd given him a proper goodbye when he left, something she felt bad about, but there was nothing she could do about that now. If Angelus was offended; which she doubted, she'd just apologise… but somehow she thought that he had been just as distracted as she had been at the time.

Not seeing anything out of place Buffy turned to walk out the door only to have it open before she could reach it as Willow stepped into the room a friendly smile lighting up her sweet face as she saw Buffy was already there. "Hey!" She greeted. "I was in the library during the quake," Willow informed Buffy happily, completely unaware of her friend's uneasy state as she strolled into the room, dumping her text books on her desk. "Almost got buried under some 19th century literature." Willow continued as she turned to face Buffy again. "And I don't have to tell you how hard it is to dig through some of that stuff." Finally taking note of the lack of reaction from her friend, when the rest of the campus was buzzing with excitement. "You ok?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah," She assured her friend as she glanced around the dorm room she had recently finished putting back to rights. "A couple of broken knick knacks, but no biggies." She replied with a small shrug.

Willow nodded as she looked around the dorm herself, unable to help feeling relieved that she wouldn't have to help Buffy clean up their dorm after spending a fair bit of time helping to clean up the mess the quake had made of the campus library. "Well, Porter dorm is completely blacked out." She began as she turned her gaze back to Buffy. "So, naturally they are dealing with the crisis the only way they know how, 'Aftershock Party.'"

"Ah," Buffy murmured as she nodded in a slightly sage like way. "This coming from the dorm that brought us the 'Somebody Sneezed' party and the 'Day That Ends in Y' party."

"They do seem to be pretty generous with the milestones." Willow admitted, but was keen to go nonetheless, seeing as there was no way that there was anything else that she could do… seeing as most of the campus was under lockdown due to power outage.

Seeing Buffy's still reluctant expression she bit her lower lip for a short moment as she considered what could entice her friend into feeling more happy about going with her. "Hey, y-you know… you could possibly see if-if Angelus would like to come? I-If you think that he'd be interested in going?" Willow offered, Angelus' name sounding strange coming off her tongue in such a context, but she highly doubted that bringing up Riley's name would earn her any brownie points were her blond friend was concerned. Not now that her scheme; that had seemed to clever at the time, to set up her friend with the nice normal Teachers Aid had been discovered.

Buffy gave a little wince. "Yeah, he'd probably be interested… for all the wrong reasons." She muttered. She could just imagine Angelus in amongst the crowd of drunken college students… but then… maybe Angelus would behave himself… he'd done a lot of things lately that she had never thought to see him do in recent months. Buffy shook her head to clear the image of Angelus attending a party with her… that was the last thing on her mind right now. "I'm pretty sure that Angelus is busy." Willow gave Buffy a curiously look and Buffy shrugged. "He rushed out of here not too long ago… looked like a man with a mission in mind." Buffy replied.

Willow looked away feeling slightly uncomfortable as she couldn't help but wonder what type of mission Angelus could have in mind… she gave herself a mental shake though as she turned her gaze back to Buffy as she did her best to remind herself of the way Angelus had been changing since he'd started wooing Buffy… a wooing that he seemed more and more serious about with the more time that past. "So… you won't be going then?" She murmured a little disappointedly, her slim shoulders slumping slightly.

Buffy gave her best friend a small smile. "You go on ahead, and I'll catch up with you there." She promised, her words immediately brightening Willow's expression. "I'm on my way for a little Giles one-on-one." She explained, answering the question that Willow had yet to ask.

"Anything wrong?" Willow asked concerned, wondering at Buffy's sudden need to visit Giles after having just successfully defeated The Gentlemen before they could complete their grizzly mission of heart collecting.

"Wrong?" Buffy repeated the question, as she pondered for a small moment on whether she should divulge her fears to her best friend. "No, mm-mm, not at all." She lied, deciding against worrying her friend until after she had spoken to Giles of her fears and had them confirmed by her father figure. Willow gave her friend a searching look for a brief moment, before shrugging it off. There didn't have to be an approaching disaster to want to go see Giles. Satisfied with her reasoning Willow smiled brightly at Buffy, glad that she now had someone going with her to the party, before she turned away from her friend knowing that she wanted to get going, whilst she need to start thinking about what she wanted to wear to the party.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus moved swiftly through the thickening trees in the part of the Campus that none of the students came. His eyes scanning the trees, searching for any sign of the military men that were infiltrating his town, putting his family in harm's way… had the gall to actually harm one of his family. And now or would soon know about his Slayer! He couldn't be one hundred precent certain about their reaction to her, but he knew human nature and if they were who he thought they were then he knew enough to know that they couldn't be trusted!

Angelus snarled softly a sneer twisting his lips as he remembered the indignity of the souls encounter with the cowardly bastards! Trapped under the soul he could do nothing but snarl in indignation as he was corralled into helping them… into being sunk down into the depths of the sea, legs tied to heavy weight that they said was to help him reach the depth need to board the submarine they had wanted him to board… Angelus fought back a growl as an age old anger built inside of him at the memories. Pausing in his stride to compose himself, Angelus fisted a hand and slammed it against the closest tree, making wood and bark flying everywhere for a moment after the impact. Pulling his fist back, he noticed that he'd hit the innocent tree hard enough to dent the wood.

Taking a breath Angelus moved on as he calmed himself; it would do him no good to let anger get the best of him… anger had led him down the path that had had him tormenting his mate instead of caring for her as he should have been from the moment she had set him free… hearing a noise to his left Angelus quickly ducked behind a tree, and few moments later a small patrol of military garbed solders ambled by, moving at a sedated pace obviously just on a routine patrol of the wooded area. Angelus frowned darkly as he watched them move right by him without noticing him and for a moment he considered killing them, releasing the pent up energy his anger had left bottled up inside of him. But he remained where he was, watching them as they moved on through the thick gathering of trees… trees that would seem to most demons a safe haven for them… and a prize one at that being so close to the University campus. It was all a set up though… the students were bait to bring the demons and the demons… where for… the military's scientists?

Angelus stepped out from behind the tree as they disappeared into the trees. Angelus growled, his fingers still itching to do damage to them, but he wasn't stupid, they'd been carrying the same kind of weapons Riley had been last night, and he had no desire to feel the sting of the electric bolts that they fired… and as strong as he was, he knew that with that many… there was a good chance that one of them could at least get a lucky shot in… which would then lead to him getting captured much like Spike had been… and the last thing he wanted was a blasted incapacitating chip in his brain that fired off blasts of mind numbing pain through his head, making him entire useless, like his good for nothing Childe…

Making sure that they had really gone from the area, Angelus turned in the direction they had been coming from, and began carefully tracing the footprints they had left behind in the soft grass and leaves covering the ground.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles sat at a table in his back courtyard, doing his best to enjoy the late afternoon sun as he studied his map, a task he was finding a little hard with his Slayer pacing agitatedly behind him, disturbing the tranquil peace of his courtyard. "Something horrible is going to happen, Giles." Buffy exclaimed with absolute certainty as well as worry in her tone as she continued to pace behind Giles. Her hazel gaze going to him expectantly, waiting for him to say something that agreed with her… and gave her something to work with… to stop the horrible from happening.

But Giles merely shrugged as he continued to pursue the map he had laid out in front of him. "It was an earthquake, Buffy." He said unconcernedly. "A not uncommon occurrence in Southern California. No reason to think it was anything more."

Buffy stopped her pacing as she looked at Giles in disbelief not having expected to hear something that was so unconcerned from him. "Oh, I so have a reason. A darn good reason." She exclaimed as she pointed at her chest for more emphasis, despite the fact that Giles was paying more attention to his map than he was to her. "The last time we had an earthquake, I died." She said pointedly, as if to remind him of that fact, hoping that that would get Giles into gear… hitting the books to do the old research thing he was so keen on doing… most of the time… just not the time that she really needed him to.

"Yes, I know that," Giles assured her, still not taking his eyes off his map of Sunnydale. "And therefore I completely understand your anxiety."

"Oh good," Buffy muttered with sarcasm etched into her tone. "Because I'd hate for my little untimely horrible death concern to be ambiguous." She grumbled as she frowned at Giles, wishing that he'd take her more seriously.

"But unless evidence suggests otherwise," Giles continued as if he hadn't heard her. "I think that we can assume that it's shifting landmasses and not a portent of some imminent doom." Finishing what he was doing with his map, Giles held up the board he had pinned the map to and held it an angle that Buffy would be able to see it. "Now in the meantime, I've got a few theories about our mysterious commando friends." He said as he gestured to the red pins he'd marked the maps with, each cluster of them marking a sight were the military men had been sighted.

Buffy swallowed thickly as she paused in her pacing. "Oh… really?" She mumbled as she sat down on a chair beside Giles, who shifted once again to accommodate her new position. Setting the map down on the table so that they could both see it.

"Now, based on the locations of our various sightings, and Spike's reluctant description of their underground installation…" Giles began glad that he had managed to get Buffy's complete attention.

Giles satisfaction didn't last long however as Buffy's concern over the earthquake quickly took her attention once again and she jumped up and began pacing again, unable to sit still with all the nervous energy that was bottled up inside of her. "What if the quake was a sign?" She questioned Giles, who took off his glasses in a sign of annoyance as he began cleaning them. "Ah, a bad omen and we just ignore it? There is going to be a lot of red faces when the world comes to an end." Buffy quipped nervously, various images of her impending death filling her mind… none of them pleasant and one of her hands went up to her throat as for a terrifying moment she could almost taste the foul water she had drown in…

"Buffy," Giles began trying to keep his exasperation hidden as he replaced his glasses. "If the quake heralds some such catastrophe, I'm sure there will be other signs to follow, which will afford us plenty of time to avert it." He assured her, putting emphasis on certain words that he felt were important. "Now, I believe that the commando installation is either very close to, or directly underneath your school." Giles soldered on hoping that he'd now managed to focus Buffy's mind. "Now if that is the case I'm convinced that one or more of them may be in your very midst."

"Plague!" Buffy exclaimed, not having been paying any attention to Giles as he talked about the military men, her mind too caught up in her impending death.

"What?" Giles exclaimed surprised at her sudden outburst. The word seeming completely off track for both of their conversations.

"What if the end of the world is coming in the form of a plague?" Buffy suggested, her mind working overtime as she paced back and forth. "Then too many people may be infected by the time we actually…"

"Buffy!" Giles said loudly, almost shouting to get Buffy's attention, his shout causing her to stop in her nervous pacing to look at him. "Will you stop worrying about what may be and concentrate on what is!" He demanded, more than a little annoyed now at her lack of concentration on what he felt was the more pressing matter at hand. Buffy opened her mouth to say something else, only for Giles to raise one of his hands in a gesture for silence. "Vigilance is all very good, but as we are getting close to figuring out just who these military men are… this is the much more pressing question."

Buffy stared at Giles for a moment as silence reigned between them as they both stared at each other, before Buffy blinked and glanced away. "Uh, I, uh… I have to go." She muttered and without waiting for a reply from her father figure who didn't seem to care one little bit about her fears, before she hurried out of the courtyard.

Giles let out a tired breath as he took his glass off once again and set them down on the map he'd been working so hard on. "Of course, go ahead. This stuff can wait, it's not like it's important at all." Giles muttered to himself as he rubbed his eyes, he could feel a headache building up behind his eyes. "Honestly, you'd think that every earthquake was a herald of disaster."

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus walked into his mansion with a dark scowl pulling down his brow as he shrugged off his jacket and tossed it over the couch, before throwing himself down on the plush cushions, his legs dangling over one of the arms as he crossed his arms behind his head. His gaze focused darkly on the ceiling as he reflected over his failure to get even close to the military's base. The security having gotten to tight the closer he'd gotten. It was very vexing especially now that his girl was so very close getting caught in their crosshairs… something he didn't fancy happening. He didn't know if they'd ever run across The Slayer before in all their years of operating and he didn't care… all he cared about was the fact that one of them now knew about his Slayer… which meant that soon more of them would know… and then… they would undoubtedly take an interest.

Angelus snarled loudly, the sound echoing through the large room he was in, he didn't trust them to begin with and trusted them even less now that he knew that they had infiltrated Buffy's University, using it to cover up their presence at the school… which had to mean that their main base was so close to the school that they needed an excuse to be seen around the campus without causing suspicion. Angelus bared his teeth at the ceiling as he wondered just how many there were hidden right under his nose… how many he'd seen without realizing it… how many were so close to his girl… able to harm her if they so choose… using the element of surprise to their advantage… and humans were far too likely to strike out at their own kind for being different than them.

Angelus' eyes flashed a golden amber and his face began to shift into the hard ridges of the demon, before he controlled himself with a fair amount of effort and his face returned completely to the smooth handsome features of the human. He still had time, the boy had only just found out about Buffy and he cared about her; something that bothered him terribly, but at this moment it was an advantage… it would afford him some time as the boy decided what to do with the information he had gained… but it would only be a little extra time. The boy was what they had made him, he was a well-oiled machine and it would be a miracle if he decided to keep the information to himself instead of telling his superiors all…

In that small window of time he would have to decide what the best thing for him to do was and he would have to decide quickly if he wanted to keep Buffy safe from their clutches. If they could neuter Spike, he could only imagine the things they would do to Buffy… Angelus shuddered at the thought a cold feeling slithering through his veins at the things his imagination came up with… and a loud growl rumbled threateningly from his chest, his face threatening to shift once again. Taking a deep breath Angelus forced himself to settle down as he reminded himself that nothing had happened to her yet and that he wasn't about to sit by and let something happen to her. Still he remained uneasy as he lay on his couch looking up at the ceiling, his mind whirling as he attempted to think of a course of action that would keep Buffy safe…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Riley walked beside Forrest down one of the many white halls of their underground base, his mind still whirling with all the information it had been given earlier that afternoon, trying to come up with the answer to the question he'd been asking himself since then… what was he to do? But no matter how hard he tried his mind just continued to spin around in endless circles… getting no closer to an answer then when he had first been told! Buffy Summers… A Slayer? He understood the words, but their meaning in this case escaped him. It seemed obvious to him that it was an important thing and meant more beyond the obvious meaning… but he had no idea as to what that deeper meaning meant…

Glancing over at Forrest who was walking beside him as confident in his stride as always… Buffy had said to look it up… well he had no books that would mention such a thing, but he could ask one of his close friends about it… "What's a Slayer?" He asked, breaking the silence between them.

"Slayer?" Forrest repeated as he turned his gaze to Riley, wondering where the strange question had come from. "Thrash Band. Anvil handed guitar band with delusions of Black Sabbath." He replied, describing the well-known band.

Riley shook his head, as he thought back to the conversation he'd had with Buffy, trying to remember some of the details she had given him. "No, a girl, with powers." He elaborated, summing up what she'd told him in simpler terms… and upon saying it realizing just how little she had told him, before her boyfriend had shown up and put an end to that conversation with his mere presence.

Forrest nodded in sudden understanding. "Oh. The Slayer." He corrected. "Oh yeah, I've heard of The Slayer." He said.

Riley smiled in relief, hoping that more information would help him to decide on what he was going to do. "Fill me in." He requested as they came to a stop in the hall.

"Well, the way I got it figured The Slayer is like some kind of bogey man for the Sub-terrestrials." He explained with a unconcerned shrug. "Something they tell their little spawn to make them eat their vegetables and clean up their slime pits." He said ignorantly.

Riley touched a hand to Forrest's shoulder as he went to move on, a slightly confused look on his face. "You're telling she doesn't exist."

Forrest smiled as he fought down the urge to laugh as he took in the look of confused disappointment on his friends face. "Oh, wait a sec. Am I bursting somebody's bubble here? Maybe this is a bad time to tell you about The Easter Bunny." He said mockingly, before laughing.

Riley gave him a disgruntled look and went to move on, not appreciating being laughed at, but Forrest caught his arm stopping his friend in his tracks. "Sorry," He tried to apologise but couldn't stop laughing through it and then. "Sorry," He tried again this time managing to contain his laughter. "It's a myth, Rye. All part of that medieval folklore garbage kooks dream up to explain the things we deal with every day." Forrest said confidently as a scientist wearing a white lab coat marched a large demon that had horns protruding from either side of its ugly head walked by them down the hall.

Riley watched them with a small frown as he tried to digest what Forrest had told him and match it to what he'd seen the night before… and belatedly realizing that he'd get no more help from his friend on this matter. "How do you explain the things we deal with, Forrest?" He asked curious as to how his friend dealt.

"They're just animals, man, plain and simple." Forrest merely shrugged as he turned away from watching the demons back. "Granted they're a little rarer than the ones you grew up with on that little farm in Smallville…" Forrest trailed off a loud bellowing growl sounded from behind them. The both of them turned to look at its cause and saw the horned demon that had just been led past them knocking its scientist escort aside. Without hesitation the both of them ran to help contain the riled up hostile, who as they ran towards it shoved a cart carrying medical supplies at another scientist who had also run up towards the demon.

Forrest immediately jumped on the demons back hoping that his weight and strength would bring the hostile to the ground, but all the demon did was thrash wildly as it tried to throw him off. Riley threw a punch at it when it turned to face him, taking the opportunity when it was given not wanting to harm his friend who had his arms locked around the hostile's throat as he hung on. The demon was more annoyed by Riley's punch then hurt and in retaliation shoved Riley hard sending him stumbling back as he fought to keep his feet. "Where's that hypo?" Forrest shouted as the demon began bucking under him wildly again trying to throw him off, just before the hostile slammed him up against a wall, the pain rocketing through his back forcing him to release the demon.

The sudden shout however caused the already extremely nervous scientist to drop the small bottle filled with the incapacitating drug that would knock the demon out cold. The frightened scientist whimpered, before he quickly dropped to his hands and knees to pick it up. The horned hostile punched a third man clad in full military gear, the blow making the man drop his baton and fall back on his ass. The horned hostile turned his attention back to Forrest as he got back up to his feet a wince of pain crossing his dark features. The look had barely passed over his face when the hostile's strong hand closed about his neck, constricting his airflow… threatening to suffocate him. Moving quickly Riley snatched up the fallen baton and closed in on the hostiles back, bringing the baton down hard on the back of the hostiles head, sending the demon down to the ground unmoving as unconsciousness claiming the riled hostile.

Riley tossed the baton back to its rightful owner who was getting his feet, clutching at what appeared to be a broken nose with one hand. "Never mind." Riley told the scientist as the still terrified man who was only now fitting the needle to the small bottle. His gaze going back to Forrest who was breathing hard and clutching at his bruised throat.

"Like I said." Forrest gasped as he stepped over the unconscious hostile and made it back over to Riley's side still massaging his throat. "Animals." He turned his gaze in the direction of the many cages that were filled with hostiles as loud banging sounds along with howls and growls filled the air. "What's that racket?" He asked Riley as he turned his gaze back to Riley.

Riley shrugged. "Animals rattling their cages, been doing it all day." He replied. "Wonder what got them all worked up."

Forrest shook his head as his gaze went down to the unconscious hostile that the scientists were hurrying to get taken away to its cell whilst it was still out cold. "Earthquakes man, make everybody crazy."

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy swiftly entered the mansion on Crawford Street; pausing in her purposeful stride, her breathing only slightly laboured having hurried over from Giles condo. Her gaze searched as her senses stretched out in search of the man she was looking for. She didn't have to search long, her eyes landing on him almost immediately, her keen senses unnecessary this time as she spotted his legs hanging over the edge of a couch set up before the large empty fireplace. Smiling in relief at having found him at home, instead of having to wait for him to get home from whatever it was he'd left in such a hurry to go do.

Buffy had barely made it half way towards his couch before she saw his legs move and a moment later all of him came into view as Angelus sprang to his feet. "Buffy?" He greeted as his eyes drank in the sight of her, taking in her flushed appearance and quickened breath. "Is something the matter?" He asked looking behind her to see if anyone was following behind her; his fear for her safety immediately jumping to the forefront of his mind.

Buffy continued on her way towards him, the distance between them closing as Angelus also stepped towards her. "No," She assured him. "Well, not really." Buffy babbled. "I was just at Giles'…"

"And did he say something to," Angelus began only to have Buffy shake her head at him, causing him to trail off.

"No, I was just over there and I suddenly had this overwhelming urge to see you… be near you." Buffy explained as she moved closer to him still, brushing herself up against him as her pupils began to dilate with her desire for him. The nervous pent up energy she had been feeling since the earthquake having turned to arousal.

Angelus swallowed thickly as he took in her eyes that were usually a bright hazel having turned to a deep jade. The scent of her desire for him filling his nose as her feminine hands came up to slide gently over the silk of his shirt, the heat of her skin through the cool silk sending warm shivers of delight through his body, his own desire rising swiftly in the confines of his leather pants. Buffy fisted her hands in the silk shirt she had been stroking; feeling the deliciously sculpted muscles beneath it. She used her grip on his shirt to help balance herself as she moved up onto the balls of her toes to press her lips against his, her tongue flicking over his lips; begging for entrance into the wet cavern of his mouth. Angelus groaned as his lips parted for her on instinct, his hands coming up to hold her, one cupping the back of her head; his fingers delving into the softness of her blond hair as his other curved about her back, pressing her lithe body against his for a long moment.

Reluctantly Angelus pulled away, freeing his mouth from her seeking one as he looked down at her. Taking in the disappointed pout on her lips as she stared up at him questioningly; wondering why he had pulled back. "You aren't under some kind of spell or something like that are you?" He asked.

The question made the pout disappear from Buffy's lips as she smiled up at him, a small giggle of laughter rising up inside of her; that escaped for the briefest of moments. "No."

"Good." Angelus rumbled huskily, before he crushed her up against him once again, his mouth finding hers once again, ravaging it with the passion he had held back before as he tried to keep his wits just long enough to ascertain that his mate wasn't under the influence as she had been the last times she had suddenly come to him and acted much like this…

Buffy moaned against his lips, her tongue duelling with his as her hands that were still fisted in his silk shirt tugged and a ripping sound rent the air for a short moment as the small buttons popped free of the shirt, the stiches that held them to the shirt nothing compared to the strength in her arms. Immediately her hands slid underneath the ruined silk of his shirt; her hands luxuriating in the feel of the soft skin of his chest that covered the hard muscles. Buffy's mouth left his after a long moment, her lips trailing down his cool flesh. Tasting his familiar skin under her tongue, her teeth had only just gently scrapped over his small nipple when his hands shifted upon her and she was lifted up into his arms. Buffy wrapped her legs about his hips when her feet left the ground, her gaze meeting his for a moment, before his mouth claimed hers once again.

Angelus groaned as their tongues duelled passionately as he swiftly walked them across the room only stopping when he'd pressed Buffy up against one of the stone walls of the large room they were in. His hands swiftly moved to rid her of the clothes that denied him the pleasure of direct contact with her flesh.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow stood awkwardly in the midst of the party that Porter dorm was throwing as she looked around, trying in vain to spot somebody she knew in amongst the crowd. She was beginning to believe that it had been a bad idea to come here before Buffy… she hadn't though that she would feel this awkward… the last few times she had felt perfectly fine coming alone… but then she had been dating Oz and the added cool factor he gave her had had people talking to her… the guys in the band and those that liked the band… but now that Oz had left for parts unknown to her… had left her in the eyes of everyone, it was like she didn't exist to them anymore… Willow's shoulders slumped at the unwanted reminder of Oz and she continued to look around at the people who were moving about; taking no notice of her as she stood awkwardly… alone…

Her eyes scanned over the people, hoping that perhaps she would spot Tara in amongst them… perhaps looking as out of place as she was… perhaps hoping to spot her as well, but it was a silly hope… from what she knew of Tara from her short acquaintance with her she was far too shy and quiet to want to come to such a rowdy gathering. Willow looked towards the door hoping to see the familiar blond head of Buffy as she finally made her appearance; like she had promised she would. Not seeing her Willow sighed disappointedly, before sweeping her gaze around the crowd again. A small group shifted as her gaze landed on them, revealing a couple sitting on a single chair and Willow smiled as she at least recognised one of them.

Relieved to have found someone she knew, Willow immediately made her way over to him a friendly bright smile curling up her lips. "Percy! Hi!" She greeted drawing the couple's attention to her.

Percy looked at her surprised, not having expected to see the red head at the party. The girl he'd gone to high school with not one for attending them… or getting invited to them. " Hey, Willow!" He replied as he got over his shock and shifted in his chair slightly so that he was facing her more. The memory of a time when she'd lifted him up by the throat and threw him back against a pool table not yet old enough to allow him to be rude as he had been when she'd done it. "What's going on?"

"Stuff." Willow said with a slightly nervous shrug, wishing that she could say more, but the things that she was into wouldn't go down well with the general public. Her gaze drifted to the pretty brunette that was perched on the arm of the chair beside him, looking at her with a politely bored expression. "I-I thought you got that football scholarship to USC?" Willow asked Percy as she turned her gaze back to him.

"I did." Percy replied, before gesturing to the brunette beside him, who was swiftly growing bored of not being the centre of his attention; this boring conversation having already going on too long in her opinion. "Laurie goes here."

"Hey." Laurie greeted, trying to keep her impatience in check, believing that the conversation couldn't go on for much longer. The girl in her opinion was about as lively as a broken twig.

"Hi." Willow greeted with a small awkward wave of her hand, her awkwardness growing as Laurie continued to stare at her… her gaze not seeming as friendly as it seemed to be on the surface. "Some party, huh?" Willow said, trying to ease the feeling… that she hoped was just a feeling.

Laurie forced herself to smile. "It's ok." She muttered, hoping to put a swift end to the conversation and get the girl to go away.

A slightly awkward silence followed and Laurie turned her gaze to Percy, trying to tell him silently with her gaze to get rid of the obvious nerd who had come over to them. Percy turned his gaze back to Willow and broke the silence. "How's Oz?" He enquired, not quiet taking the meaning of the look Laurie was giving him.

"Oh," Willow began glad that at least this would give her something more to talk about, even if the topic did pain her still. "Actually, Oz is…"

She trailed off as Laurie stood from her perch, leaning down so that she could link her arm with Percy's drawing his attention away from her with little effort as she whispered something in his ear. Willow watched as Laurie stood back up and took a couple of steps away as Percy licked his lips as he turned his gaze back to Willow. "Uh, listen… we're going to get some drinks." He excused quickly. "Cool to see you." He said as he got up, his hand grasping Laurie's.

Laurie gave Willow another fake smile. "Bye." She said, before she swiftly led Percy away, quickly disappearing into the crowd.

"Yeah, catch you later." Willow muttered disappointedly, a sinking feeling inside of her that she had just been unceremoniously dismissed, but she consoled herself that it had been Laurie who didn't really know her at all and not Percy who had wanted to get rid of her. Looking around again Willow wondered what she could do now… whilst she waited for Buffy to make her appearance… Looking around again she hoped that she may have arrived whilst she'd had the momentary distraction of Percy and his girlfriend.

Willow watched as a topless guy trailing after two hot women, followed them through a door and into another part of the party, she shook her head and turned her gaze away from them, not having even the slightest interest in what they were going to be doing. Her gaze swept away from the door they had disappeared through, just missing as a long fingered green hand tipped in deadly looking claws closed about the edge of the door preventing it from shutting completely.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

The shirtless guy stood alone in another room, that was mostly cut off from the sounds of the party as he messily filled up plastic cups with alcohol, having been sent to replenish their cups. His body bopping to the beat of the music coming through the door as he hummed along to it. "Hey," He shouted as he glanced back towards the room he had just left, where the noises of his friends could be heard through the door. "You guys serious about naked limbo? Cause I'm in." He shouted as he finished picking up the four plastic cups and began picking them up, pressing a couple against his chest with his arm so that he could take them all out at once.

But as he turned around his entire body froze as he came face to face with an ugly greenish coloured demon that looked less then friendly. His expression was one of shock and fear as the demon roared loudly, before it swung out at the boy, its long claws slicing effortlessly through the vulnerable flesh of his throat. The boy dropped the cups he had been holding spilling the alcohol to the floor. Blood that was spurting from his neck mixing in with the alcohol as the demon grasped him, keeping him from falling lifelessly to the floor…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy let out a wordless cry as she looked down at Angelus' head as he thrust himself home inside of her over and over again. One of her hands braced herself against the mantle of the fireplace, her other hand clutching at his broad shoulder as she did her best to meet his every thrust, but was hampered by the solid stone wall at her back that he was keeping her firmly pinned against as he thrust into her welcoming sheath. Angelus placed heated kisses along the column of her slender neck, his lips brushing over the strong thundering beat of the pulse in her neck. The beating of it drawing his attention as he pressed another kiss to it, enjoying the way her blood jumped under his lips. Sucking the vulnerable flesh into his mouth, he sucked on it in time to the beating of the blood underneath.

Feeling Buffy arch into his touch trustingly, spurring on his desire for her and he hardened his pace inside of her, earning another high pitched keen of pleasure from his girl as her legs tightened about his hips urging him on… deeper as her sheath clenched about him in encouragement, the slick wetness of her sheath allowing him to easily glide in and out of her. As he suckled at her neck, his teeth began to elongate into the sharp fangs, beneath the closed lids, his eyes glowed that demonic amber and he was filled with the desire to bite down deeply, to taste her blood and mark her once again… this time with the mark of a mate; to close the deal. To make Buffy his mate in entirety.

Angelus stayed like that for a moment, his fangs brushing gently against the scar that already rested on her slender neck, his tongue lapping at the raised skin as he fought for control over himself… now was most definitely not the time… Forcing himself to pull back, his face smoothing out and his eyes returning to their dark brown. Buffy's eyes opened, her gaze curious as she wondered why he'd stopped thrusting inside of her, his cock just resting inside of her, unmoving as it pulsed with blood. His gaze met hers unflinchingly, and Buffy gasped heatedly, her legs tightening about his hips in denial as he pulled out of her sheath leaving it feeling empty and aching with need for him. "A-Ange-lus?" She gasped as she fought to catch her breath to be able to speak. Whilst her legs tightened about his narrow hips and rubbed herself wantonly against his still turgid length, trying to seat herself upon his cock once again… to feel him stretching her; filling her as she so fiercely desired.

But Angelus shifted, pulling himself back from her slightly, just enough so that her legs had to release his hips as his hands kept her pressed up against the wall. Buffy met his gaze again, her lips parting to speak once again. "Ang…" But her voice left her as she was pulled away from the wall, a gasp escaping her as Angelus flung her over his shoulder and began walking, going up the stairs, heading towards his room and the bed that waited for them there. "Angelus?" Buffy murmured as she strained to keep her head lifted up, her arousal making her wiggle against his shoulder… wanting to feel him thrusting deep inside her… not carrying her through the mansion. "Is this…" She trailed off. "I want you inside of me." She pleaded as she did her best to look at him from the angle he was carrying her in.

She let out a yip of surprise as her world was suddenly turned around once again as she was moved from Angelus' broad shoulder to be cradled in his chest with one of his arms; hers coming up to circle about his neck to steady herself as he continued to walk as he looked down at her not needing to see to know his way around his mansion. "Patience, Buff." He murmured, his lips curling up into a confident smile. "You'll feel it again soon enough." He promised her as he guided one of her hands down between them so that she could feel just how hard he still was for her. Buffy bit her lower lip wickedly as she pumped her hand up and down the long length of him and she rocked slightly in Angelus' arms as his steps faltered as he gasped.

Angelus carefully extracted his cock from her strong warm hand and Buffy gave him a cheeky unapologetic look as she continued to worry her lower lip with her white teeth. "Enough of that, or we won't reach the bed." He chided her, before he started along the hallway again. He took deep breaths as he fought to regain complete control over his desires. Everything he had worked for these past few months would be for naught if he mated her now… her trust in him was still so fragile… and he wanted her to be fully aware when he marked her as his mate… he wanted her to know exactly what he was doing… and he wanted her to want it just as much as he did. Something he wasn't sure he had achieved just yet in his wooing of his girl.

Angelus kicked the door to his bedroom open and quickly stepped inside as he shifted Buffy in his arms once again, pressing her up against him, causing Buffy to gasp; her hips undulating against him as she felt the firm press of his hard cock against her wet aching pussy. Angelus groaned and quickly manoeuvred them over to the bed; his cock pulsing with unfulfilled need.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"Buffy, where are you?" Willow muttered as she stood in amongst the party, looking around hoping to see the familiar blond head of her best friend… even accompanied by Angelus like she had reluctantly suggested in the hopes of making the prospect of coming with her to the party more enticing for her friend who hadn't seemed all that keen on coming. But she still didn't see the blond that she was waiting for as she stood in amongst the happy party goers… but not one of them as they all were still happy to be ignore her as she stood quiet alone. And she couldn't help, but wonder if Buffy was still planning to come at all; if something else had caught her attention causing her to forget about her and the party she had said she would come to.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the familiar voice of Percy and she turned around to face the source of the noise a smile lighting her face as she took a step towards them, hoping that Percy would keep her company until Buffy could arrive, but her steps stilled almost as soon as they had begun as she heard Laurie's voice clearly despite the noise as she obviously answered a suggestion Percy had made that wasn't well received by her. "Why? So I can watch you flirt with that red head?" Laurie said with a fake pout.

"What, Rosenberg?" Percy replied shocked that Laurie would think that he would flirt with a girl so beneath his social standing. "Yea, right. She's just some egghead who tutored me a little in high school." He assured his girlfriend, turning Willow's happy face to one of sadness and hurt as she couldn't help but listen further as her feet kept her; for the moment, in place. "I mean she's nice, but, come on, Captain of the nerd squad." He quaffed feeling free to speak his mind now that he believed that the girl he spoke of couldn't hear him.

Laurie looked at him with teasing doubt. "Well, I don't know." She murmured as she leaned in towards him slightly, drink in hand. "Maybe you have a thing for geeks."

"No, I like my women hot." Percy assured Laurie with a smile as he chewed the gum he had put in his mouth earlier. "Call me old-fashioned." He said with a shrug. Willow looked from one to the other with wide hurt eyes, before she spun on her heal and hurried away. Forgetting that she was waiting for Buffy as she sought a place to hide herself away as she felt the hot prick of tears pressing painfully against the backs of her eyes as Percy and Laurie kiss deeply both completely unaware that she had heard them.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy let out a wordless cry as her orgasm surged through her. She clung to Angelus as she rode out her orgasm; Angelus still thrusting inside of her as he rode out his own, extending both their pleasure. Buffy stroked her hands up and down Angelus' flesh mindlessly, just wanting to touch him as he continued to lay above her; her afterglow continuing to warm her as she caressed him with affectionate fingers. Her chest heaving with her panted breaths, a sheen of sweet covering her naked flesh, her nerves sending tingles of pleasure shooting through her as Angelus' unneeded breath washing over her skin and his fingers traced little patterns on her skin as he too lay basking in the afterglow of their coupling.

The moment seemed to last longer than it did as they both drifted, riding out the lingering waves of their shared pleasure, but all to soon it seemed to Buffy Angelus regained himself and lifted his weight from her; a weight that she had luxuriated in as she basked. Angelus gave a little groan as he pulled himself reluctantly from Buffy's warm wet depths. His seed immediately beginning to slip down her thighs as he did so, lying down on the mattress beside her. Buffy turned onto her side to face him a happy smile curling up her lips as she rested a warm hand against his chest, her body tingling pleasantly, the nervous energy that had been built up inside her all but spent now; leaving her feeling much better… pleasantly relaxed. "Hhmm," She moaned as her afterglow truly began to leave her, letting more unpleasant thoughts intrude on the quiet moment. "Thanks, I really needed that."

"Any time." Angelus murmured, a large cocky smile curling up his lips as he too turned on his side to face his girl, his eyes travelling to the faint mark that he had placed on her neck… making the scar he had placed there look darker than it had in a long while.

Buffy let out a sigh as she looked up at Angelus. "I should go." She muttered disappointedly, wishing that she didn't have to go, but knowing that Willow was waiting for her.

"Why?" Angelus murmured as he shifted closer to her, his hand reaching out to caress the side of her face. "The nights young. Patrol can wait a few more hours."

"I promised, Willow I'd meet her at a party." Buffy replied as she forced her satisfied and mostly unwilling limbs to move so that she could sit up on the plush mattress. "And I suppose that I should find that time in there somewhere to go back to Giles… I kinda rushed out on him when he was trying to explain something to me." Buff shimmed across the bed and got to her feet, her legs feeling a little wobbly underneath her weight for a moment, before they steadied. She turned to Angelus with a small affectionate smile curling up her lips. "I'll see you later." She said, before turning to go in pursuit of her clothes that were down the stairs somewhere.

"Hang on." Angelus called stopping Buffy in her tracks as she angled herself so that she could look back at him. "You weren't thinking of leaving without giving me a good bye kiss were you?" He asked as he lounged back on his mattress propped up by one of his arms.

Buffy smiled and got back up on the mattress and shuffled over to him on her hands and knees until her face was a mere inch from his. Leaning in to close the distance she pressed her lips to his in a kiss that quickly turned heated once again as Angelus slipped his tongue past her lips one of his hands coming up to cup the side of her face. Sensing were this was once again headed, Buffy forced herself to pull back from him and smiled as Angelus pouted at her. "I'll see you later." She murmured as she clambered back off the bed and swiftly exited the room in search of the clothes she had left in the room she had found him in hours ago. A large bubble of happiness swelling in her chest as her mind went over everything that had happened since she had arrived… it was almost enough to make one believe that the past had been nothing more than a bad dream…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow opened the door and peered into a dark room, making it extremely difficult to see anything but rough outlines of the things in the room. "Hello?" She called a little timidly into the room, not wanting to interrupt anyone in the middle of something she rather not bear witness to. "Anyone in here?" Not getting any reply Willow breathed a sigh of relief and entered the room, closing the door behind her. Glad that she had finally found a room that was empty. Walking carefully across the room heading towards what she assumed was the outline of a bed. As she drew closer to the bed she stumbled slightly as one of her feet caught on something soft. Reaching down she felt what seemed to be a shirt, untangling her foot from it not really thinking much of it seeing as she had obviously entered someone's dorm room.

Lying down on the bed, turning onto her side so that her back was to the door as she began to softly sniffle a hand coming up to wipe at her eyes, the tears finally beginning to leak from her eyes as Percy's words rang hurtfully around in her brain. His words hurting more than she liked them to. She didn't have the sanctuary of darkness for long as the lights in the dorm suddenly flicked back on as the power came back with a buzz appliances that had been left on flicked back on. Willow didn't pay any attention to that though as she stared wide eyed at her unexpected bed mate… her unexpected obviously dead bed mate as he lay propped up against the pillows on the other side of the bed from her. To shocked to scream, Willow slowly turned away from the body and rolled out of the bed, getting unsteadily to her feet. She backed away from the body that was all too visible with the lights on. Her gaze went from his throat that had been sliced open crudely to land on the symbol that had been carved without any hesitation marks into the guys chest.

Willow stared at it, memorizing what it looked like for Giles and Buffy knowing that they would need to know as much as she could give them, before slowly, trying to keep calm she exited the bedroom to find somebody she could tell that wasn't too drunk to take what she said seriously. Willow looked about the party goers wondering just who she could find in amongst this mess of people who had been partying since early afternoon, before deciding that hysterical was more likely to get more attention than her calmly going up to someone…

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Xander mounted the stairs that led down into the basement that he called home, a pizza box in his hands. His calm expression turning to one of horror as his room came into view. "Oh, no!" He exclaimed as he came off the stairs, his gaze glancing about at what he could see of his basement. "Spike, the place is worse than when I left!" a drop of water hit his cheek and he looked up to see the pipe still leaking water. "You didn't even fix the drip!" He exclaimed in annoyance, sure he hadn't expected Spike to do half of what he'd asked him to do… but he had thought that he would fix the drip!

"Don't turn around." Spike said from where he stood behind Xander, when it looked like the boy was about to turn around, and see his embarrassment.

Xander hesitated. "Spike, what is it what happened?" He asked, the concern in his voice being for the possible damage done to his property.

"Don't look at me." Spike said again as he stood uncomfortably, wishing that there was a space big enough in this basement big enough for him to hide in. Xander ignoring Spike's demands turned around to face the vampire and paused, almost dropping the pizza box he was still carrying as he took in the ridiculous sight of Spike wearing his ill-fitting clothes… something that made the vampire look shorter and far less imposing than his usual black. And he couldn't stop the laughter that burst out of him at the sight.

Spike held up some of his clothes. "I shrunk them." He explained. "Bleeding shirt, trousers…" He said morosely as he looked over the ruined clothes he had laid out on Xander's bed. "I hate this place." He muttered despondently.

Xander smoothing his features into a serious look, despite the amusement he still felt at seeing Spike wearing his clothes… they really did look ridiculous on the peroxide blond vampire. "You know I'm not any happier about you wearing my stuff than you are."

Spike dropped the shrunk shirt that he had been holding up back onto the bed as he turned his full attention to his unwilling host. "Go out, get me some decent stuff, and I want more blood." He demanded without even so much as a please or a thank you about to pace through his lips.

"No!" Xander said flatly, in no mood to go out again for the demanding layabout that he had the misfortune to be babysitting once again. "You're not a guest!"

Spike scowled at Xander, unable to take the thought of being forced to wear the brats clothes for any longer than he had to. Painfully aware of just how ridiculous he looked in them, there was no way that he'd be able to live it down if his Sire… or anyone for that matter saw him in this… He could only imagine the grief that The Slayer would give him upon seeing him… any all respect she had for his reputation as a big bad would fly out the window never to be seen again! "You want me to tear this place apart, you bloody poof?!" He growled threateningly.

"That's it!" Xander snapped angrily in return as he set down his pizza box on a surface that wasn't wet from the leaky pipe that Spike hadn't bothered to fix. "I am way past due with you. I hate to break it to you, oh impotent one, but you're not the big bad anymore, you're not even the kinda naughty. You're nothing but a waste of space; my space! And as much as I always got a big laugh watching Buffy kick your shiny white bum, as much as I know I can give you a little bum-kicking myself right now, I'm here to tell you something," Xander took a menacing step forward getting splattered by the worst part of the drip coming from the leaky pipe. "You're not even worth it." He said degradingly, making Spike swallow as his words… words that normally wouldn't bother him rattled around in his brain. "I'm out of here." Xander muttered as he turned away from Spike and snatched up the pizza box that was to be his dinner and marched right back out of his damp basement, leaving Spike to stare after him… a disheartened look on his face.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow sat at the bottom of a flight of stairs her chin resting on her fist as she watched the body of the boy she had found being wheeled away by the paramedics. She sat up slightly straighter as she saw Buffy walking into the building just as the body was being wheeled out. Buffy looked after the body for a moment and Willow raised a hand. "Buffy!" She called getting the blonds attention. "Over here."

Buffy quickly made her way over to her distraught looking friend and sat down beside her on the stairs a soft sigh escaping her as all the good feelings she'd had upon leaving Angelus' mansion disappeared. "Wow, I wasn't sure where the party was, and then I saw the flashing lights and the ambulance, and I was like 'right, of course! Death, carnage… it's a Buffy party!'" She murmured as she settled down beside Willow, looking at her friend in concern, not liking how pale she looked. Something that was made to look worse by her bright red hair.

"I'm so glad you're here." Willow mumbled as she rested her head against Buffy's shoulder, glad that her friend had finally made it. Needing the comfort of that right now.

Buffy placed a hand over one of Willow's as looked about what she could see of Porter Dorm, the once happy party goers now sombre and some… those that were closest to the victim crying in small groups. "What happened?" She asked Willow.

"I found him," Willow said quietly as she raised her head from Buffy's shoulder, her hand clasping Buffy's firmly as she looked up at her friend, trying to draw strength from her to keep her fragile composure. "This guy on the bed with me. Dead. Not me dead, he dead." She babbled slightly as an image of his body as she'd found him flashing before her eyes.

"God." Buffy exclaimed softly, not having imagined that Willow would be the one to find the victim… no wonder she was so pale! "Are you ok?" She asked as she gave Willow a searching look as if trying to pry the information from her mind as Willow nodded. Taking a breath and looking around to make sure that nobody was close enough to hear, she leaned in closer to Willow and lowered her voice down to a whisper. "Vampire?" She enquired.

To Buffy's surprise Willow shook her head. "There was so much blood, and there-there was a symbol, and… Percy said I was a nerd!" Willow exclaimed suddenly remembering what had made her seek out solitude in the first place.

"Percy called you a nerd?" Buffy repeated, distracted from the dead boy as outrage filled her for her friend and she looked around the room they were in to see if she could spot Percy amongst those that were still lingering around, her eyes narrowed.

Willow nodded glumly. "I guess we should report to Giles, get with the demon tracking." She muttered, her voice drained as she forced herself to stand up.

Buffy stood up with her and linked her arm in hers as they began making their way out of the building. "Does he even go here?" She asked with a frown as she tried to recall if she'd even seen him around on campus since school had started.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Riley sat in his room in Lorrell house with Forrest; he stood in front of his door a foam basketball coloured ball in his hand, a ball which he aimed at a small toy hoop that was fastened high up on the door. Throwing the ball at the hoop, he sighed as it once again missed it's intended target.

Forrest caught the foam ball as it came in his direction and turned his gaze to Riley. "Ok, that makes 0 for a billion. You don't got game, son." He teased, taking in the faraway look in his friend's eyes. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

Riley sighed as he looked over at Forrest. "I'm just trying to… make up my mind about something." He said honestly before trailing off, not ready to talk about what he knew about Buffy… not when he hadn't made a decision yet. A decision that was proving far more difficult than it should be. It should be simple! He knew something that was important for The Initiative to know that could help them in their endeavour to capture hostile's… so he should go straight to Professor Walsh and tell all that he knew, but… he wasn't sure that he should… Buffy was taking as much care as The Initiative itself did to retain secrecy… Forrest waited, watching Riley expectantly as he waited for his friend to divulge what was on his mind that was distracting him so. "Buffy," Riley finally said making Forrest sigh in annoyance just at the mention of her name. "She's pretty cool, isn't she?" Riley asked carefully.

Forrest rolled his eyes as he squeezed the foam ball that was in his hand. "Yes, already." He grumbled annoyed. "She's cool, she's hot, she is tepid, she's all temperature Buffy." Forrest said sarcasm entering his tone. "Now can we concentrate on the game here?" He asked with a shake of his head as he aimed the foam ball up at the hoop, shooting the ball up at the hoop just as the door swung open hitting Graham in the head as he entered the doorway. "Good block." Forrest said amused his annoyance at Riley's continued infatuation with Buffy quickly disappearing. "You should use your face more often."

Graham didn't crack the smile that Forrest expected as he looked from one member of their team to the other. "We have an alpha code blue situation." He said seriously, wiping the smirk off Forrest's face and turning Riley's mind from the Buffy situation that he couldn't seem to stop thinking about; as the both of them immediately stood to their feet, their expressions as serious as Grahams.

"One of ours?" Riley asked.

"Negative. Civilian at the Porter Hall party." Graham answered immediately, and Forrest and Riley let out a breath that they had been holding, both glad that it wasn't one of their own that had become a casualty.

"HST attack?" Forrest asked.

"Cannot confirm that." Graham replied. "I couldn't get close without drawing attention to myself." He expanded, feeling the need to explain why he couldn't tell his comrades more about the attack.

"Should we mobilize?" Forrest asked as he turned his gaze to Riley.

Riley thought for a moment before he shook his head. "No, I'll go. Do a little recon. See if it falls in our domain." He said firmly, a part of him hoping that it was a HST attack as more than likely it would mean bumping into Buffy and if he was lucky he would be able to talk to her more about this Slayer thing. "You alert Prof Walsh. Tell her we have a casualty of an indeterminate nature. Let's not make a move until we get the whole story." He decided.

Both Graham and Forrest nodded and moved out of the room, heading off to do as their team leader had commanded of them, whilst Riley tossed on a jacket, before making his way out of the room and heading on his way to Porter Hall.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"It just made me feel like I was right back in high school." Willow finished morosely as she sat in Giles apartment, Xander and Buffy spread out around his living room as the man himself sat at his desk pouring through one of his books.

"Dumb jock!" Xander grumbled with a frown. "If it wasn't for you he still would be." He muttered, thoroughly offended for his friend.

"I mean, I know the Percy thing isn't really important, it's the dead guy on the bed." Willow murmured apologetically as she glanced at the back of Giles head, knowing that she was probably detracting from his concentration with her moaning about being called a nerd.

Xander nodded his agreement. "Yeah, that's bad too."

"Ooh, and something else." Willow exclaimed suddenly remembering. "He, the dead guy, was-was propped up, like whatever killed him wanted to drain the blood out of him… so I'm thinking that the whatever took a bunch of the guy's blood with it." She added hoping that she had added something helpful, before she frowned as something else about what Percy said hit her. "And I haven't been a nerd for a very long time! Hello… dating a guitarist… or I was." She added on her expression falling once again.

"Tell me about this symbol." Buffy requested immediately drawing Willow's attention away from Oz and being called a nerd as the red head reached into her pocket and pulled out a napkin she'd drawn the symbol on whilst sitting on the stairs of Porter Hall as she waited for Buffy. "Right, it was carved into his chest, like a big creepy eye." She explained as she showed the rough drawing she had made to Buffy.

Xander wanting a better look plucked the napkin from her lax fingers and looked at it. "It's kind of the CBS logo. Hey, could this be the handiwork of one Mr. Morley Safer?" He asked teasingly, trying to lighten the mood in the condo and lift Willow's spirits.

Buffy frowned as she tried to think. "I'm telling you I've seen this somewhere before, I just can't remember where!" She muttered frustrated as she tried to remember where she had seen the freaky looking symbol before. "I mean, it's like…"

"It's the end of the world." Giles said as he lowered the book he had been looking at so intently a worried look on his face.

Behind him Buffy, Willow and Xander looked at him for a moment in shock, before the moment passed. "Again?" They exclaimed in unison, none of them wanting to believe that the end of the world was once again upon them.

"It's ah, the earthquake," Giles explained as he looked over the page he was reading once again. "That's symbol… yes." He confirmed as he took off his glasses and turned to look at his charges.

"I told you." Buffy exclaimed and began pacing agitatedly as nerves that Angelus had helped sooth came surging back. "I-I said end of the world and you're all like 'poo-poo Southern California, poo-poo!'" She said accusingly.

"I'm so very sorry." Giles muttered a little sarcastically as he stood from his chair. "My contrition completely dwarfs the impending apocalypse."

Willow shook her head in denial. "No, I-it can't be. We've done this already." She mumbled, her eyes wide, not wanting to have to go up against something like The Mayor again… especially when they had so little time to prepare to stop whatever it was if the ritual was already starting.

"It's the end of the world, everyone dies. It's rather important really." Giles stated, trying to make it since into everyone's head, his gaze going to Buffy who had fallen very silent since her outburst.

"So what do we do?" Willow asked worriedly as she chewed on her lower lip.

Buffy straightened herself up from where she had been leaning against the bench that cut people off from just wandering into the kitchen, walking over to a crossbow she picked it up, her finger caressing the trigger. "I stop it." She said firmly as she hoisted up the crossbow, a determination filling her. There was no way that she was going to let this thing kill not… She'd stop it and continue lapping up the happiness that she had only just started to feel again after years of living a hell! Nothing so small as an apocalypse was going to take that away from her!

Walking over to the napkin, she stared down at it for a long moment, her friends gazes following her example until she picked up the napkin just in case she needed to look at it again. "I'm gonna go see if I can't remember where I've seen this mark before." She told them as she pocketed it. Giles opened his mouth to say something, but Buffy anticipating what was about to come out of her father figure's mouth spoke before him. "Don't worry, I've got a fair idea of where I've seen it before."

Giles nodded his agreement. "Right, well then, we'll continue to research… see if we can't find out more." His words brought a groan from Xander's lips; a groan which was ignored by all present as Buffy headed on her way out the door and Giles went back to his book and Willow picked up a couple handing one to Xander, before she took her seat again.

Xander sighed, his eyes already seeming to hurt, before he'd even flipped to the first page of the book Willow had thrust upon him.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy frowned up at the side of a large crypt as she put the napkin back into her jacket pocket, the triangular symbol with the eye in the middle of it that was carved into the crypt wall matching the one Willow had drawn on the napkin. "I wonder where I've seen this before?" Buffy grumbled to herself as she continued to stare up at the symbol. "Where else? The place I spend most of my waking hours memorizing stuff off the sides of mausoleums," She muttered. "Big freaky cereal boxes of death." She quipped, the moment she'd started making her way to the cemeteries of Sunnydale she seemed to suddenly remember exactly where she'd seen the symbol before.

"Well, I don't think I've ever heard them quiet described like that." Angelus' voice came from behind her.

Buffy spun around on heel to face the direct the voice had come from. "Oh hey, later came about a bit quicker than I expected." She mumbled with a slightly embarrassed smile, not having expected anyone to be around to hear her little rant. "So, whatcha doing around these parts?" Buffy asked.

"Well, I heard a little rumour that something was going down tonight… something that would usher in the next apocalypse." Angelus replied with a shrug as he walked over to Buffy.

Buffy looked up at him faintly surprised at just how good his Intel was. "You know, one of these days you're going to have to tell me who your contacts are. I think they'd have Giles' drooling in envy."

"I don't know, Buff. My contacts prefer to remain off The Slayer's radar… they don't like being on mine as it is." Angelus murmured as he stared up at the symbol he had been told about.

"Then why'd they help." Buffy asked as she looked about the quiet cemetery, something not sitting quiet right with her senses, but she couldn't see anything disrupting the night.

Angelus shrugged as turned his gaze to Buffy. "They find it better for their health if they just co-operate. It's not like they don't get anything from it though as long as they give me information, I put them under my protection."

Buffy was about to say something in response when she heard a dull scrapping sound of stone shifting against stone, distracting her from their conversation. Moving around the crypt she came up to the door that was already open. Walking quietly towards the entrance she paused in the doorway as she looked down at a large green skinned demon that had slicked back horns covering its head, which was more like hair than a weapon. She watched for a moment as the demon; completely unaware of her presence for the moment, stuffed bones from the tomb it had opened into a burlap sack. "Door was open." Buffy said, drawing the demons attention from its task to her. The moment it set eyes on her it let out a bellowing growl. Buffy who'd already aimed her crossbow squeezed the trigger, firing the bolt at it. The bolt embedded itself deeply in the demons shoulder and it growled again and began moving towards her.

Knowing that she wouldn't have time to reload the crossbow, she threw the weapon at the demon. The demon batted it aside like it was nothing another roaring growl coming from it as it charged at her, Buffy flipped over its head, landing neatly behind the demon who had stopped in its sudden charge. Without hesitation, Buffy began pounding the broad expanse of the demons back, landing solid blows with her fists. The demon roared again as it spun around it's arm flying wildly at her, forcing back to take a couple of quick steps back to avoid the blow, it's nasty looking claws that tipped it's large ugly hands barely missing her face. The demon bellowed its roar at her again as it punched at her again, this time managing to her, the force of the large demons blow sending her to the ground.

Buffy gave her head a shake as she looked up at the demon that was wasting no time in retreating with its sack of goodies as it began its way up the stairs, where Angelus stood waiting, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the crypts doorframe; obviously content for the moment to just enjoy the show. Buffy scrambled up to her feet and ran after the demon, the demon hearing her less than stealthy approached swung around, swinging the sack filled with the bones of the child's tomb he had raided. Buffy dodged back to avoid being hit by the sack, having to keep doing so as the demon swung it at her again and again. Buffy turned her gaze up to Angelus who was still watching the action. "Feel free to lend a hand at any time the feeling grabs you." She grumbled just before she dodged back from the swinging sack once again.

"But it looks like you've got everything under control." Angelus commented as Buffy ducked under the sack and stepped forward, making the sack useless as a weapon as she punched the demon in the face again and again, forcing it back towards the tomb, before it finally fell against it, the bones in the sack making a crunching noise as the demon pushed himself up from the tomb, the bag still firmly clasped in its hand.

Buffy struggled to get the sack from the demon for a moment, before the demon roared once again and used its free hand to back hand Buffy with a fierce blow that had her falling back, blood filling her mouth as she fell to the ground with an 'oof'. "But if you insist." Angelus added as he saw Buffy go down once again the faint scent of her blood filling the musty crypt, tickling her nose. Angelus hurried down the steps and swiftly engaged the demon in a fight, distracting it from finishing off Buffy as the two traded blows and dodged around each other. The bigger demon trying to make his way out of the door.

Buffy sat up and gave her pounding head a small shake as she tried to get rid of the slight ringing in her ears. She spat out a small bit off blood that had pooled in her mouth from a cut her own teeth had sliced into her cheek during the blow before it healed. She wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve as she watched Angelus beat the demon back with a few blows, before the demon did its loud roar and swung violently at Angelus, landing a solid blow to his face and chest, before it raced for the stairs. Buffy scrambled up to her feet and chased after the fleeing demon; Angelus watched her for a short moment before running after her, taking the steps two at a time to reach the outside where Buffy and the large boorish demon already were, the sounds of a fight already reaching his ears.

Making it out of the crypt he came to a stop as he appreciated the way Buffy's lithe body moved as for the moment she dominated the fight with the large demon. Buffy kicked the demon in the face solidly, landing lightly on her feet she swiftly followed through with a punch to the demons chest and then a roundhouse kick to the demons side. The demon growled loudly, Buffy unfazed by the sound moved into attack again, only for the demon to crush her against it with its large arms. The demon lifted her off the ground and moved forward a few steps with her, before slamming her down against a tombstone. The demon having successful created a moment for himself snatched up the bag of bones he had dropped and moved to make a quick escape only for Angelus to be in his way, the demon roared again getting frustrated with all the attempts to get in his way began the attack this time.

Buffy groaned and gave a little cough as she tried to get her wind back, her back twinging painfully where it had made contact with the tombstone. She allowed herself to lay there for a long moment as she heard the sounds of Angelus battling the demon. Her reprieve didn't last long as a shadow fell over her and immediately her body tensed and she effortlessly flipped up to her feet and spun about her fist swinging at the new possible threat. Riley just caught her swiftly moving fist, the palm of his hand throbbing from the power behind the blow. "Wow, that flippy thing you did," Riley began as Buffy looked at him confused wondering why he was here.

"What are you doing here?" She asked with a frown as she glanced over at Angelus to make sure that he was doing ok with the demon.

"Well, I kinda hoped that I might run into you here. 'She who hangs out a lot in cemeteries.'" He said a little sheepishly, quoting what she had told him in her dorm room.

"Well, I don't have time to deal with this right now." Buffy said dismissively as she turned back to the fight, intending to join Angelus in his fight against the large demon.

"Wait," Riley called as he reached out and grasped her arm. Buffy looked back at him with a frown darkening her brow as she waited impatiently for Riley to say what he had stopped her for, but his gaze had focused properly on Angelus for the first time since arriving on the scene to see Buffy being slammed down against a tombstone. "Wow," He muttered as he watched Angelus spar one on one with the demon without any trouble at all. "So, what is he? Like The Slayer's side kick or something?" He asked, his voice slightly awed as he watched Angelus land a blow that knocked the demon back a couple of steps before it roared loudly and swung wildly at him.

Riley's eyes widened further as Angelus took a blow that would knock unconscious any one of his team; a blow which Angelus seemed to just shrug off as he dodge another blow and blocked another.

Buffy watched Angelus for a moment finding herself appreciating the way his body moved as he fought the demon. "Uh, yeah… you could say that." She replied to Riley's question awkwardly, believing that it wouldn't be a good idea for Riley to find out that Angelus was a vampire. _'Don't let his face shift!'_ Buffy thought, not even wanting to imagine how Riley would react to her boyfriend being a vampire; not when he'd been trained by some Government military to seek and capture all demons and preform experiments on them.

Buffy watched as Angelus took a solid blow under the chin sending him to the ground with a thud. The demon roared again and took off towards the woods, Buffy shook off Riley's hand and moved after it. Riley stood frozen his eyes focused on Angelus, he could have sworn that he saw the man's face turn into the hard ridges that normally signified a vampire, but it was only for a moment as he blinked in shock and when he'd opened them again the hard ridges where gone and the familiar face of Buffy's boyfriend had reappeared, making it seem like the whole thing had just been a trick of the light. Angelus stared at Riley for a brief moment his eyes meeting the boys who was looking at him like he could he'd seen a ghost, but wasn't sure if it was real or not. Angelus spun away from him quickly and raced in the direction Buffy had taken off in leaving Riley standing alone still shocked and somewhat unable to move his legs as he tried to make sense of what he had seen.

Finally shaking his head, telling himself that it had to be a trick of the poorly lit cemetery, he reached for his radio and began speaking into it to call in the demon as was protocol. "Base One, this is Lilac One." He spoke into the receiver. "Confirmed sighting of an unidentified Sub-T. Mobilize patrol team for debriefing at 0800 hours."

"Copy that." A voice buzzed through the radio, confirming Riley's orders. Riley releasing his radio, looked in amazement in the direction he had seen Buffy and Angelus go; chasing after a demon with no weapons and no back up aside from each other… "The Slayer…" He murmured to himself as he stared for a moment longer, trying to imagine what it would be like going up against one of those demons by himself with nothing but his fists and an unarmed man as back up… shaking his head at the idea Riley turned and slowly made his way out of the cemetery, his mind still whirling around his slightly broader idea of what The Slayer was.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy came to a stop breathing hard as she looked around the wooded area she had chased the demon into. "You know, for its size it can sure make a dash for it when it needs to." She panted.

Angelus who had come to a stop beside her, also looked around the woods trying to spot a sign of the blundering demon, but it seemed like the demon had slipped through a crack to lose them. "You wouldn't think a demon of that size would be so cowardly." Angelus muttered as Buffy straightened up as she got her breathing under control.

"I don't think that's it." Buffy murmured as she did a small half turn to survey a different part of the woods. "It had another agenda in mind. I mean what's the point of taking the time to kill us when you're about to end the world."

Angelus nodded as he walked over to a patch of disturbed dirt. "I think it went this way." He said softly as he pointed ahead of him. "But it'll be a hard thing to track it through those trees." He muttered as he stood back to his full height his gaze focused on the trees that were thickening in the direction the demon seemed to have gone.

Buffy sighed as she came to stand beside Angelus once again, looking at the same patch of trees. "It'll take too long to try and work our way through that. We'd spend all our time tracking him and not enough trying to stop the world from ending." Angelus nodded his silent agreement as he turned his gaze from the woods, his gaze landing on Buffy as she moved away from him starting back the way they had come. "I should head back to Giles'. See if he's found anything new that could help." Buffy glanced over her shoulder at him. "Are you coming or… do you want to poke around here a bit longer?" She asked as she looked at him curiously.

"I'll come." Angelus murmured as he stepped towards her and they began walking back through the woods. "I think that I need to know a bit more about what's going." He admitted with a small frown darkening his brow. His concern not only for what the demons were planning to end the world; his contacts not being able to give him too much… just enough basic information that allowed him to find his way to the cemetery and crypt where he had found Buffy looking up at the same mark he had been looking for… but also for what the boy Riley may have seen… human eyes were weak though and the boy had seen him out and about in the sun… so he probably had nothing to worry about on that front. Humans always found ways of explaining that which they could not understand… and from the look he'd seen on Riley's face he definitely didn't understand what it was he had seen… and human nature determined that he would more than likely dismiss it…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"A Vahrall demon." Giles said triumphantly as he looked up from the book he'd been looking through to find the demon Buffy had described when she had come through the door Angelus not too far behind her.

Willow leaned over towards Giles from where she sat beside him. "Eew!" She said disgustedly her nose wrinkled in distaste as she looked down at the drawing of the demon that took up a small corner of the page.

"I second that revulsion." Xander said with an almost identical look of disgust on his face as he leaned in towards the book on Giles other side.

Angelus uncrossed his arms from over his chest as he moved a little closer to the group from where he had been standing apart, having no desire to become friendly with the entire group, nor wishing to become accepted as part of them as the soul had desired… his only interest in being here at all was to help him understand what the demon was planning… and to keep a close eye on Buffy… remember all too well how she had died the last time an apocalypse had been accompanied by an earthquake… and suddenly her edginess and distraction earlier that day became all too clear… she'd sensed something wrong happening the moment the earthquake had hit.

"Yes." Giles murmured agreeing with their assessment of the demon shown in the picture. "Slick like gold and gird in moonlight, father of Portents and brother to Blight." He read from the book.

"Limbs with talons," Buffy read as she leaned over Giles shoulder. "Eyes like knives, bane to the blameless, thief of lives." She murmured, before straightening up, her gaze going to Angelus as she saw him move out of the corner of her eye. Her gaze met his and she found herself slightly surprised by the sudden intensity in them as he stared at her. The intensity had heat rising in her cheeks and after a moment she had to look away, her attention going back to her friends who were still pouring over the book. Still highly aware of Angelus' unwavering gaze on her.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Riley stood in front of his patrol team, his hands clasped behind his back as he stood ramrod straight as he had been trained as he debriefed his team. "Three metres tall, approximately 100-120 kilograms, based off my visual analysis."

"Special hazards?" Graham asked, a pen poised over a pad he was holding in the palm of his hand as he looked up at his team leader expectantly.

"Unknown. Probably nothing we haven't handled before. There is no pattern we can discern yet, so we got to assume that it is on a basic kill-crush-destroy." Riley informed his team and watched as they scribbled notes in their pads.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"This thing isn't digging up the bones of a child for fun." Buffy said with a thoughtful frown, her gaze sweeping about Giles living room.

"Well, a demon's got some pretty hilarious idea about fun." Xander quipped, his gaze shooting over to Angelus accusingly. "Like say torturing and maiming."

Angelus sneered at the boy, his hands curling into fists as he fought the urge to wrapping them about the boys neck and just squeeze to the life went out of his eyes. "Don't tempt me boyo." He said lowly, his tone full of warning that had Xander gulping, but not backing down as he continued to glare at Angelus, confident that Buffy wouldn't let the vampire hurt him.

Buffy stepped between the two as she shot disapproving looks at the both of them. "Play nice, the both of you." She said, a warning in her tone as she pointed at both Xander and Angelus. Xander had the grace to look a little sheepish as he turned his gaze to Buffy. He hadn't meant to let the words slip out, but Angelus had a way of getting under his skin by just being around… the same way Angel had. Buffy nodded as she sensed the tension in the living room ebb away. "Good, bigger picture everyone." She murmured her arms lowering to her sides.

"Bones of a child though." Willow murmured, something about it ringing a bell in her mind. "I saw that!" She exclaimed as she pulled a book that was resting on the table before her and flipped through the pages until she found the one she was looking for. "An ancient ritual…" She mumbled as she ran a finger over the page until she re-found the information she needed. "Uses the blood of a man, the bones of a child and… something called the Word of Valios?" She read, a small frown darkening her brow as she wondered what the Word of Valios could be. "I-It's all part of a sacrifice… The Sacrifice of Three." She named it as she read the name the book gave it.

"Let me guess… ends the world." Buffy muttered as she stepped towards Willow to get a better look at the book she was reading from.

"Well, yeah." Willow confirmed. "I-It's not big with the details, though. It doesn't say how the world ends or what the ritual entails exactly."

"The Sacrifice of Three…" Xander repeated. "Three people are going to die?" He questioned horror struck by the thought.

"Oh, excellently deduced." Angelus complemented Xander mockingly, unable to keep himself from needling the boy he found so annoying. "Did you work that out all by yourself or did the Wiccan give you a cheat sheet?"

"Enough!" Buffy growled as she rubbed at her eyes for a moment, her hazel eyes glaring at Angelus. "Stop it, Angelus." She demanded of her lover as she rested her hands on her hips as she turned fully to face him.

"He started it." Angelus accused as he pointed at Xander, the action childish, but in that moment he didn't care as he met Buffy's glaring gaze.

Buffy scowled at him. "I don't care who started it! I'm finishing it! Or I'll put you in the hospital! Stopping the world from ending is a slightly bigger problem than your ego." She growled at him. There was silence in Giles apartment after Buffy's outburst and slowly Angelus held up his hands a small smirk curling up his lips as he mockingly held up his arms in surrender. Buffy nodded, her anger with him easing despite herself as she took in the bright light in his dark eyes as he stared out her… thoroughly un-cowed by her outburst as he smiled at her. Turning away from Angelus, her gaze settling on Xander for a moment who was looking at with a nervous expression as if scared that he was going to be facing the full brunt of her ire next. Satisfied that neither of them would be interrupting them again with their egos, Buffy relaxed completely. "So, where were we?" She asked brightly as if she hadn't been angry as hell just moments before.

Willow swallowed a little thickly, still finding herself somewhat amazed just how scary Buffy could be when she was mad. "Uh, three people dying for the sacrifice…" She prompted.

"No, there won't be." Buffy said firmly. "Because claw boy is not getting all of his ingredients. We have to find the third one, The Word of Valios, keep him from getting it."

"If he doesn't already have it. I mean who knows where he's been?" Willow murmured a little down heartedly.

"Not helping here, Wills." Buffy told her with a pointed look.

"Oh, right." Willow murmured as she slapped a bright smile on her face. "We'll totally find The Word of Valios before he does."

Angelus shook his head slightly as he looked around at the small group that Buffy called her closest friends… still finding himself surprised half the time that the ragtag group managed to get as much as they did done.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"Here is one for the good guys." Riley said, pleased to be finally be able to tell his men something that would actually help them in their new mission. "This thing has a pheromone signature a mile wide." He gestured over to Forrest who was sitting beside Graham. "Agent Gates has been working with the detection system the lab's developing."

Forrest stood up to address the men, being able to know that he had been mentioned. "Can't tell where it's going, but I've got a bead on where it's been." He stepped over to Riley so that he was standing beside him to easier face the ground and feel like he was on the same level as the team leader. "Residual traces showing up in populated areas. The things not shy."

"We're going out in civies, day clothes only guys." Riley ordered turning the men's attention back to him. "Weapons stowed in packs, keep 'em out of sight til the town quietens down. Remember this isn't a capture it's a kill."

"Get your quadrant assignments from me." Forrest said as the team began standing. "We'll blanket the town."

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"Angelus and I'll check the magic shop, see if they've heard of a book called The Word of Valios." Buffy said as she pulled on the coat she had taken off; not needing it in the warmth of Giles condo. "Willow, Xander, how about the book archives at the museum?"

They both nodded their agreement. "We'll stop at my place on the way, get some weapons, and I'll change into something that isn't quite as anchovy scented." Xander informed Buffy, causing Willow to give him a grateful smile, not having been sure how much longer she could have put up with the smell.

"You guys," Buffy called after them as the two stood up to take their leave. "This thing takes wicked very seriously. Be careful. I couldn't stand anybody getting hurt." The two nodded and gave small little waves as they headed for the door. Whilst Angelus had to bite his tongue quiet firmly between his teeth to keep himself from making a last wise crack at the boy before he left.

"You'll be right here by yourself?" Buffy asked Giles, not wanting to leave him alone without making sure.

"I'm a grown man I'm sure that I'll be quiet safe alone in my apartment. I promise not to burn the house down." Giles said with sarcasm. Buffy nodded, not bothering to mention it further as she headed towards the door Angelus falling into step beside her.

As the door closed behind them and they began on their way, Buffy leaned in towards him. "You don't happen to know anything about this Word of Valios thing-e-ma, do you?" She asked hopefully.

Angelus shook his head as he slipped his hand into hers and giving it a reassuring squeeze; trying to tell her without words that he wouldn't let anything happen to her and that he'd kill anything that tried to take her from him before her time. "Nope. Never heard of it before."

"Great," Buffy exclaimed with false brightness. "Wild goose chase here we come."

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Spike stood on his red leather chair that he had dragged over to the table he had clamped a stake to. "Goodbye, Dru." He said solemnly as he looked up at the ceiling trying to envision her likeness in his minds-eye. "See you in hell." He finished turning his gaze down to the stake he spread his arms out wide, before allowing himself to fall forward. he is distracted though as he heard someone walk off the stair and into the basement. He turned in mid-air to see who had interrupted his suicide attempt, his eyes landing on a shocked looking Willow and Xander just before he crashed into the table, breaking it and missing the stake that he had so carefully set up to be able to end his own life.

"What are you doing?" Willow asked, her voice more high-pitched in her shock as she stared at Spike's fallen form.

Spike picked himself up off the ground, brushing down the ridiculous clothes he'd been forced to wear since accidentally shrinking his own. "Bloody rot." He said with a dark scowl he aimed in Willow and Xander's direction. "Can't a person knock?" He grumbled.

"What were you doing?" Willow asked again.

Xander who had been looking down at the mess Spike had made of his table answered her. " You were trying to stake yourself!" He exclaimed in outrage as he pointed to the undamaged stake that was lying in amongst the broken mess.

"Fag off!" Spike growled self-consciously as he crossed his arms over his chest as he continued to glare at the two that had intruded on and ruined his attempt to take his own miserable unlife. "It's no concern of yours."

"Is to!" Xander declared, surprising both Spike and Willow for a moment until he continued. "For one thing, that's my shirt you're about to dust. For another, we've shared a lot here. You should have trusted me enough to do it for you."

"Xander!" Willow exclaimed as she hit Xander's arm, turning shocked eyes towards her friend.

"What?" Xander asked confused as he looked down at Willow. "He wants to die, I want to help." He explained simply as he gestured between the two of them. More than happy to be rid of one vampire that was a constant presence in his life right now.

Willow frowned up at him. "It's ooky." She murmured as she turned her gaze to the miserable looking peroxide vampire. "We know him, we can't just let him poof himself!"

"Oh, but you can." Spike said as Xander moved away from Willow slightly as he began unbuttoning the shirt he'd worn for work. "You know I'd drain you drier than the Sahara if I had half a chance. And besides, I'm beyond pathetic. Stuck in this basement washing skivvies for a blighter I wouldn't have bothered to bite a few months ago."

"Hey!" Xander exclaimed affronted, as he glared over at Spike for a moment before he went back to changing his clothes.

Spike rolled his eyes at Xander before focusing his full attention on Willow who was still looking at him with sympathy in her gaze. "I mean, am I even remotely scary anymore?" He asked. "Tell me the truth." He told her.

Willow looked at him not sure what to say… the truth not really seeming appropriate right about now; what with the peroxide vampire being so down in the dumps. Spike jumped at her, his hand curling into a mockery of claws as he advanced towards her, an expression on his face that she found hard to contain her amusement at. "Well, the shirt is kinda… not very threatening… and the short pants, but you know it could also be because I know you can't bite, which I guess isn't really what you need to hear right now, is it?"

Xander snorted. "Oh please, Angelus is scarier than you and he hasn't made a move to hurt any of us in months."

Willow shot Xander an annoyed look for his blatantly truthful words at this moment in time when Spike was in such a fragile state.

"Yeah, well that's only 'cause he's so bloody busy wooing the damned Slayer. He's not gonna risk all his hard work just to take a bite out of someone as unappetising as you." Spike grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest. Willow opened her mouth to say something that she hoped would do something to cheer him up, but Spike spoke again before she could get a word out not wanting to hear anymore of her platitudes. "Stop, please, just clear out." He grumbled, his voice more pleading than he liked it to be.

"Fine." Xander grumbled as he turned around making his way back over to Willow having finished changing. "But you break anything else while we're gone and you'll be sleeping in the garage, buster."

"We can't leave him like this." Willow exclaimed bringing Xander up short. "We'll have to take him with us to the museum." She urged, much to Xander's horror.

"Oh, you go on. I won't do anything. I feel much better now, promise." Spike assured them in a not very convincing manner.

Xander sighed as he gave into Willow's puppy dog eyes and stepped over to Spike who was reluctantly walking towards them, knowing that Willow wasn't about to give up by the look in her eyes. Throwing his arm around Spike's shoulders as they began walking together towards the steps that led up to the main house. "Think of the happy. If we don't find what we're looking for, we face an apocalypse."

Spike's expression turned hopeful as Willow mounted the stairs ahead of them. "Really? You're not just saying that?"

Xander clapped Spike's should before releasing him. "Would I just say something to make you happy?"

"Good point." Spike agreed as he mounted the steps after Xander suddenly starting to feel a bit better now that he knew that an apocalypse was coming.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy walked down a still busy main street with Angelus beside her as they made their way towards the magic shop that she was hoping would have what they were looking for. Her eyes landed on Riley who was walking on the other side of the street to them heading in the opposite direction, his gaze focused on a small little handheld device that looked a lot like an oddly shaped Gameboy. Buffy hesitated in her stride as she had the sudden desire to talk to him… to try and talk some sense into him… tell him that he should find a better job… a safer one that didn't involve him putting his life at risk every single night of his life, but Angelus who had noticed her hesitation as well as the boy walking on the other side of the street who had yet to notice them, to intent on the device he was staring at with such intensity gently touched her arm, drawing her gaze up to him. "We have to hurry. We don't know how much time we have left."

Buffy nodded as she looked up at her lover and smiled as she picked up her pace again. "Yeah, you're right, besides… he looks busy." She mumbled as they continued on down the street together.

Angelus glanced back at the boy as he continued at a much slower pace than them as he looked down at his device that was obviously telling him something of some importance. "I'd prefer it if you kept your distance from that guy." Angelus grumbled as he turned his gaze down to Buffy.

Buffy looked up at him surprised as they turned a corner onto the street the magic shop was on. "You wouldn't be jealous, would you?" She teased.

Angelus snorted derisively. "As if I'd feel jealous over a guy that's duller than cardboard." He muttered. "You don't know anything about the guy or the military he belongs to… I have a bad feeling about them." He told her, wanting to warn her, but not going into any further details just yet; not when he wasn't one hundred precent sure it was who he thought it was… but he was getting pretty damn confident… he didn't think that there was many organisations that hunted demons.

Buffy looked up at him, sensing his unease, she took his hand in her small warm one and gave him a smile. "I'm sure that it'll all work out, Angelus." She murmured reassuringly. Angelus glanced down at her and gave her a small confident smirk, not wanting to concern her with it just yet… not when she was already worried about the end of the world and fearing her possible death being heralded by the first earthquake she'd experienced since the one that had been the beginning of the prophecy of her death.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow, Xander and Spike walked down a paved path out the front of the Historical Museum of Sunnydale as they retreated from the large building. Willow and Xander's shoulders slummed as Spike walked talk almost whistling a happy little tune; his world starting to look up for the first time since having been neutered by the chip in his brain. "Great." Willow muttered disheartened. "No word of Valios."

"Not even a syllable of Valios." Xander muttered as he trudged beside Willow.

"Which means I'm one step closer to melting in a sea of molten hellfire, yeah?" Spike said a little gleefully for either of Willow's and Xander's moods as they shot annoyed looks at his back as he strutted on ahead of them.

"You shouldn't talk like that." Willow scolded. "Yeah, ok, so you can't kill anymore, but there are other fun things you can do. You'll adjust." She murmured, trying to be reassuring.

Spike stopped and turned around forcing his two companions to stop with him as he levelled a less than friendly look on them. "Adjust? And what? End up like the two of you? No thank you." He grumbled.

"Here it goes." Xander grumbled as he turned his gaze on Willow. "We can't just leave him here to stake himself!" He mimicked her, raising his voice to a higher pitch to mimic a woman's voice. "It's not right." Willow looked down at her feet sheepishly, beginning to regret her decision to bring him along.

"I should think you would be glad to greet the end of days." Spike said, his tone serious, giving no hint as of yet to the mockery he was feeling. "I mean, neither of you is making much of a go at it." He gestured to Xander. "You, kids your age are going off to University, you've made it as far as the basement. And Red here," Gesturing to Willow. "You couldn't even keep dog-boy happy. You can take the loser out of high school, but…"

"I see what you're doing." Willow interrupted Spike's hurtful monologue as she stared him down bravely. "You're trying to get us to dust you."

"Am not!" Spike vehemently denied. "I just don't want pity from geeks more useless than I am." He said cuttingly, the look of hurt on Willow's face making it all worth it.

"We're not useless!" Willow retorted, her voice wavering slightly, something that didn't escape Spike's notice. "We-We help people. We fight the forces of evil!" She exclaimed whilst Xander nodded his agreement.

Spike shook his head, giving them a look. "Buffy, fights the forces of evil. You're her groupies. She'd do just as well without you… better I'd wager, since she wouldn't have to go about saving your hides all the time."

Xander scowled and took a step towards him. "That's not true!" He denied, his hands clenching into fists. "We're part of the team. She needs us." He said with conviction.

Spike snorted in disbelief. "Or you're just the same tenth grade losers you've always been, and she's too much of a softy to cut you lose." Spike looked at them for a moment waiting for a brief moment to see if they were going to say anything else in their defence that he could swat down. Receiving nothing but stunned hurt silence from the two he had been forced to tag along with, he turned around a satisfied grin curling up his lips as he began walking once again.

Xander blinked as he regained himself a little after the talking down to Spike had given them. "You know… I never thought that'd actually say this… but I think I'm suddenly on team Angelus." He muttered to Willow, who gave him a surprised slightly confused look. "I mean I think I actually prefer Angelus' company to his." Willow nodded, agreeing with him. Xander wrinkled his nose as he gave his head a shake. "And I can't believe those words ever left my mouth. Please let's forget this ever happened." He pleaded of his best friend.

Willow nodded. "Of course. I will forget about it completely, unless I feel the need to take it out and beat you over the head with it." She said pleasantly enough as she began walking after Spike who had gotten a slight lead on them now.

Xander gaped after Willow. "What do you mean 'take it out and beat me over the head with it.'?" He demanded to know as he hurriedly caught up with Willow.

"You'll just have to wait and see." Willow sing-song-ed a little skip to her step, focusing her mind on gently teasing Xander instead of the hurtful words Spike had lashed her with. Determined not to take him seriously in during his mid-un-life crisis he was going through at the moment.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles sat at his desk pouring through yet another book, flipping through the pages with a frown of concentration pulling down his brow. He flipped past a page before flipping back as a picture that seemed familiar caught his eyes… a picture that jogged his memory. He looked at the picture of the talisman his heart sinking in his chest as it all came back to him, his fingers running over the large words that confirmed what the talisman was. 'The Word Of Valios' the words were bold and seemed to accuse him for not remembering sooner. "Oh… as usual… dear." Giles muttered as he looked at the image of the 15th century talisman.

Swiftly getting to his feet he walked over to his chest, shoving off the odd bits and bobs that had been placed on top of it, before he opened it and dug through the contents. Unearthing a small box. Closing the chest, he rested the box on top of it as he opened it. Looking down at the various magical bits and bobs he had garnered over the years to keep safely tucked away. Shifting through it, he picked up the small talisman that was shaped in a 'W'. He looked at it in wonder for a moment, before a moment behind him made his turn around and a cry escaped him as one of three demons that all looked pretty much alike growled as it swiftly attacked him, not giving him enough time to get his bearings and defend himself.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy's steps faltered as she entered Giles living room to see him seated on his couch next to Xander bloody cuts and bruises on his face. "What happened?" She asked as she hurried over to him her expression concerned as Angelus lagged behind as he eyed the beaten up ex-Watcher who was definitely looking worse for wear.

"It's my fault." Giles gasped out, his chest aching with every breath he took. "I should have known." He muttered miserably.

Buffy squatted down in front of him. "Giles…" She began, wanting to sooth his wounded pride, but Giles' continued on.

"The Word of Valios… is the name of a talisman… not a book. I blame myself entirely. I had it here."

"You had it here?" Xander muttered feeling a little put out at being sent across town for a book when Giles had had it all along. "Ok, first I thought you were being too hard on yourself, but…" He trailed off at the look Buffy gave him. Willow walked back into the living room from the kitchen, a dish towel wrapped around some ice clutched in her hands, as she handed it to Giles; who pressed it to his face.

"Oh, thank you." He said gratefully the coolness feeling great against the throbbing bump on the top of his head.

Across the room Angelus growled darkly drawing everyone's gaze for a moment, before they followed the line of his gaze to see him glaring darkly at Spike who'd entered the living room a steaming mug of blood in his hand. "What are you doing here?" He snarled, still not having completely forgiven his Childe for touching his mate… spell or no spell. The broken jaw he had given him doing little sooth that fact that his sent had covered his mate… momentarily dwarfing his own.

Spike swallowed thickly at the dark and dangerous look his Sire was giving him and the hand that was holding the mug of steaming hot blood shook slightly, before he stifled the movement as he did his best to look unaffected by the dark menacing stare of his Sire. "Uh, it's uh, my fault." Willow interjected a little nervously; swallowing thickly as Angelus' dark gaze shifted to her. "Uh, you see. Spike was going to make himself go poof… and so I thought it wouldn't be a good idea for him to be alone."

Angelus gave a little stiff noise as he turned his gaze back to Spike who was now glaring angrily at Willow for telling his moment of severe weakness to his Sire… who would no doubt hold it over his head for the rest of his un-life… for however long that may be. Angelus' expression lightened slightly as he smirked coldly at Spike. "Well at least you know just how pathetic you are." He mocked cruelly, before turning his gaze away from his Childe.

Spike forced back a threatening growl, knowing that he couldn't back up any threats he made, and with his Sire you had to be able to back up whatever boast you made. Taking a deep swallow of his blood to distract himself from his desire to tear into his Sire. Giles cleared his throat bringing the attention of the room back to him as he continued to hold the makeshift ice pack to his head, water from the melting ice beginning to run down the side of his face. "I bought the talisman at a sorcerer's estate sale." He explained, wincing as his head throbbed horribly and he shifted the pack on his head. "I really only glanced at it once. I thought it was a knock off." He muttered, hoping that his explanation would excuse why he had forgotten that he had had it all along.

"Well, they have it." Buffy stated as she stood back up. "And they probably have their sacrifices by now, too."

Giles nodded and immediately regretted it as the movement sent a powerful throbbing pain pounding around his abused skull. "They're on their way to perform the sacrifice now."

"On their way where?" Buffy wondered, a hopeful question in her tone as she looked at Giles hopefully. "You found out what the ritual is for?"

Giles nodded again and bit back a groan. "The Hellmouth. They are going to open the Hellmouth… The one in the library." Giles bit out between clenched teeth.

Buffy sighed as her expression darkened slightly as she exchanged glasses with her friends. "Looks like we're going back to high school… something I never wanted to do again… just for the record."

Xander nodded as he got up from his seat. "Yeah, especially after the whole The Mayer tried to eat us thing…"

Willow shrugged. "I liked high school."

Xander slung an arm around her shoulders. "And that's why we love you so much, Wills. You made it possible for us," He gestured to Buffy and himself. "To Graduate."

Willow's shoulders slumped. "Yeah, that's me. Biggest self-confessed nerd this side of California."

Xander exchanged a concerned look with Buffy not having meant his comment to be taken badly, before he clapped her gently on the shoulder. "Come on, times a wasting. Big bad apocalyptic stuff going down as we speak."

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Spike kept to the back of the group he was reluctantly trailing after. Being sure to keep his distance from his Sire as they walked up the steps to the ruins of what used to be the only high school in Sunnydale, his Sire's mood swings were mercurial and he wanted to be out of the way if he suddenly decided that he would beat the snot out of him for kissing his mate. _'Bloody tossa.'_ Spike thought irritated; why couldn't he take his ire out on the red headed novice Wiccan who was really the one to blame for it. But Angelus for the moment seemed content to ignore him as he walked beside Buffy at the front of the small group.

"Be careful you guys." Buffy cautioned as they entered the hall, her nose screwing up in distaste as she took in the ruin it was inside… a rank smell accompanying it, that hadn't been noticeable outside the building. "The place doesn't look to stable." She murmured as she picked her way carefully around some debris that had settled in the middle of the hallway that seemed far more narrow than she remember of the entrance hall of the school.

"Fine by me." Spike muttered. "I hope we all go under." He grumbled, his uplifted mood having left him once again.

Buffy's shoulders tensed in annoyance as she glared over at Spike. "Why is he even here?" She asked her friends, her annoyance clear in her tone. "It's not like he can fight!" Her comment making Spike glare at her a sneer of hatred curling his lips.

Willow gave Buffy an apologetic look. "If we leave him alone, he'll stake himself.

"And that's bad because…?" She asked sarcastically, before she glanced over at Angelus, who wasn't looking at her, but straight ahead of him, her keen eyes taking in the smallest of ticks in his jaw… the only sign he was willing to give that despite all the bad blood between them, he did care about the fate of his youngest Childe. "Fine." Buffy hurried on, quickening her pace that had slowed almost to a stop. "Whatever, just keep him out of the way, I don't have time to babysit a fangless vampire."

"Hey!" Spike exclaimed affronted. "Watch your mouth!" He growled, his tongue running over his blunt human teeth. He was not fangless!

Buffy sighed ignoring Spike's outburst completely. "Ok, when we get to the library keep a look out for victims they're keeping a live for the sacrifice. Getting them out alive is the first priority." She said, needing to set her friends priorities so that she knew what they were doing as she took care of the demons… who wouldn't be too happy when they crashed their party.

"Will do." Willow said agreeably, just the sound of a dull wack sounded from behind her and they all heard Spike let out a small sound of pain as Angelus had deliberately fallen behind and had delivered a solid blow to the back of his impertinent Childes head.

Buffy took a deep breath and instantly regretted it as her mouth filled with the taste of the rancid air and suddenly she was really envious of Angelus' ability to not have to breathe when he didn't want to. "Ok, you guys ready?" She asked.

"Let's rock and roll." Xander said seriously as he steeled himself for what they would soon be facing once they'd made it down a couple more ruined corridors.

"Let's rock and roll." Spike repeated, his tone mocking Xander, but found himself ignored as he walked now beside Angelus… something he found unnerving, but at the same time also soothing… if it wasn't for the fact that they were trying to stop an oncoming apocalypse he could almost swear that it was almost like old times… times when they'd still been on good terms… Before Angelus had gotten a little possessive of Dru the moment he had admitted to loving her with all his black heart… Unable to help himself he extended his leg and tripped Xander up slightly, making the boy glare over his should at it for a moment, before he continued on.

They turned into an extremely burnt and tattered hallway. Xander looked around the walls, hardly being able to believe the difference some like an explosion had had on them. "Sunnydale High. These walls… if they were still walls what stories they could tell." His small walk down memory lane was put to a halt as his foot stepped in something that made a sickening squish sound beneath his sneaker clad foot. "Eww!" He yipped as he immediately lifted his foot up again and looked down to see what it was that he had stepped on, bile rising in his throat as he saw what it was. Looking back up at his friend who had all stopped in their tracks to look at him; his expression turned sheepish, not having meant to startle them all. "Mayor meat… extra crispy." He explained and the girls wrinkled their noses at that, before everyone turned and continued on the hall.

"I think we're near the library." Willow murmured feeling the need to be quiet as they got closer to their destinations. And she was right, as they turned down another corner, carefully stepping around a large hole in the floor, the ruin of what used to be the doors to the high school library came into view at the end of the hall.

Moving as swiftly as they could down the hall as they carefully picked their way down it, not wanting to put a foot through the floor that creaked suspiciously underneath their feet in some spots. They stepped over the ruins of the doors, that had been blown into many small pieces, the sounds of low growls reaching their ears as they moved further into the destroyed library.

"Whoa." Willow exclaimed quietly as they came to ledge that led to a sudden drop to a much lower level where they could see the three Vahral demons gathered around a large fissure that had opened up in the ground. "Check out the new floor plan."

"Three of them." Buffy murmured, almost to herself as she frowned in determination as she sized them up with her eyes, glancing to her left as Angelus moved up beside her, his gaze focused on the three large demons as they chanted with guttural growls.

"I don't see any sacrifice people." Willow muttered as she looked around the pit the library had become after the large explosion they had set off just last year.

"They must be around somewhere. The ritual is not finished. And it's not gonna be." Buffy said determinedly, before with a graceful jump she leapt down into the pit, immediately drawing the demons attention.

"That's right," Buffy murmured as she advanced forward, the demons growling at her; clearly not pleased by her unwelcome interruption. "Party's over." Just before she hit one solidly in the face, before fisting her hands in the vest it was wearing and threw it away from the hole, the urn filled with the boys blood slipping from its hands as it did so, Xander seeing it leapt down into the fray and hurried across the open expanse of the put and snatched it up. "The blood!" He cried as he held it with tight hands, as he looked around at the fray, his eyes going over Angelus who was at the moment busy fending off two of the demons, using his agility to dodge and weave under the attacks they sent at him and throwing in his own. "Get the talisman." He called to whoever could hear him amidst the growls and sounds of fists and feet meeting flesh filled the pit. "They can't do the ritual."

Angelus blocked a blow from one of demons and ducked low under another one thrown by the second demon, before delivering a kick to the demons chest. The demon growled and gasped as it staggered back, his hand releasing the bag of bones it had been carrying. The bag flying through the air for a moment, before it landed on the ground, sliding across it before coming to a complete stop. Seeing the bag of bones lying unattended Willow jumped down into the pit and hurried across the pit towards it, her eyes skittering around to see if any of the demons were coming at her now that she had entered the war zone. The demon who had lost the bag of bones, glanced over and saw her picking up the bag and snarled, turning his gaze back to the vampire that was so determined to way lay them he charged at him with a loud growl, catching the vampire around the stomach slamming him against the wall of the pit.

There was a shake above them and both Angelus and the demon looked up to see a beam beginning to fall, the knock against the wall having knocked it free of its precarious position above them. The demon delivered another punch before jumping back out of the way, leaving Angelus no time to get out of the way as the beam came crashing down on him. Buffy looked over at the sound of the beam crashing down and an all too familiar growl. Her eyes widened as she saw Angelus lying underneath a large beam. Without pausing to think about it she made to rush over to help him, only for the demon she'd been wailing on to jump her from behind, its arms locking around her in what was meant to be a choke hold. On instinct Buffy slammed her arm back into the demons gut and felt his arms loosen considerably. Reaching up and behind her, Buffy grabbed the demons arm and pulled, her body shifting with her as she threw the demon up over her shoulder, slamming him into the ground.

Considering him dealt with for the moment she made once again to hurry over to help Angelus out from beneath the beam, only for the demon to catch her by the ankle as she moved past him, causing her to fall to the ground with an 'oof'. "I've got the bones!" Willow cried triumphantly as she made her way over to Xander who was standing holding the urn full of blood. Hearing a growl coming up behind her she swallowed thickly as she saw the two demons that had been attacking Angelus stalking towards them, growls rumbling up from their chests. "Here!" She called to Xander as she tossed the bag to him. Xander caught it awkwardly with one hand as Willow ducked under the demon who had almost been completely on her. Her eyes landing on Angelus as he lay sprawled under the beam.

She spun back around in time to catch the bag of bones once again as Xander threw it back to her as one of the two demons came at him, causing him to drop the urn of blood that he hadn't had time to put down yet. Willow looked down at the bag that was in her hands, feeling the bones that were inside, before her gaze slid over to Angelus who was struggling to get out from under the beam. Seeing the third demon coming at her she dodge around trying to avoid him for a moment as she desperately tried to think of what she could do, before her gaze landed on Spike who was calmly sitting on a ledge that was protruding out of the wall of the pit, watching the fight unfold around him, wishing that he could also take part. "Spike!" Willow shouted catching his attention, just before she threw the bag at him. Spike caught it and looked down at it with a frown as Willow dodged away.

Looking up again Spike swallowed as he began getting up as he saw an angry demon that had been chasing Willow now coming at him and he swallowed thickly, knowing that there wasn't much he could without causing himself severe pain. "Right, perfect." He muttered as he tried to quickly get to his feet as the demon came at him. Willow who had successfully lost the demon that had been after her, hurried across the pit, her gaze sliding over Buffy who nodded at her gratefully as she turned over onto her back and kicked up at the demon who had gotten to his feet before her, fending him off for just long enough for her to be able to jump back up to her feet. Willow turned her gaze back to the fallen Angelus and swallowed thickly as she approached him, coming into his view. "Buffy?" Angelus asked the red head the moment he saw Willow peering down at him a nervous expression on her face.

Willow looked over at her blond haired friend, watching for a short moment as she landed a solid kick to the demons side, before following through with a punch to its ugly face. "Dominating." Willow assured him. She wrung her hands as she glanced about nervously to see all the demons occupied and paying her no attention. "Uh, do you think you'll be able to push this thing off if I help?" She asked.

Angelus nodded immediately, it irking him that he needed the novice Wiccan's help to shift the beam, but the damned thing had winded him for the moment and he could swallow his pride for the moment if it got him back up and helping Buffy again the sooner… he was just grateful that it wasn't Xander that had come over… he doubted he could have stomached that…

"You've got the wrong man, dude." Xander managed to say as the demon that had come at him, continued to punch him in the stomach with strong blows that sent him up against the wall they were standing in front of. "I've had a lot of practise with my lunch money." He grunted, the whole really feeling like he was back in one of the many hallways of the school, one of the bullies beating the crap out of him for more money to spend on food. Spike snarled in growing anger as the demon after the bag of bones pounded on him relentlessly as he was helpless to do anything against it… the pain that would rocket through his head if he fought back far worse compared to the pain the demon was dishing out.

A small tremor went through the earth under their feet and the demon pounding on Xander looked towards the fissure before releasing him. Snatching the urn up from where it had fallen it growled as it made a mad dash for the fissure and without hesitation jumped inside the fissure and down into the depths of the hellmouth. "Ok," Xander said puzzled. "I guess I won." He murmured, just before the earth gave a tremendous shake almost knocking him off his feet and his gaze went to Buffy who was still fighting the demon. "The demons! They are the sacrifice!" He shouted loud enough for everyone in the pit to hear.

Spike didn't hear him though too busy getting beaten up on by the demon wanting the bones back. The demon hit him again making Spike stumble back a step, but it was one hit too many as Spike snarled, his face the hard ridges of the demon, before he hauled an arm back a scream tearing from his throat as he braced himself for the pain that he was about to feel, before he punched the demon with as much force as he could muster. His hand immediately went to his forehead in anticipation of the pain that should be rocketing through his head. Only for a surprised look to come over his face as he lowered his hand slowly. "No pain!" He said in wonder as his gaze went to the demon that scrambling back up to its feet, only for Spike to hit him again a large smile curving up his lips as once again no pain rocketed through his head. "I can hurt a demon!" He growled in astonishment.

He growled loudly, before throwing himself at the large demon, relishing in every punch and kick he delivered, enjoying the violence like he hadn't been able to in to long! All thoughts of ending his unlife leaving him as he made up for all the time he'd lost not being able to terrorise and brutalize. Unfurling his fury on the poor unsuspecting demon that had happened to have the misfortune of being in charge of the bones. It didn't take long for the demon to drop to the ground and not get back up. "That's right." Spike hooted. "I'm back. And I'm a BLOODY ANIMAL! YEAH!" He crowed relishing in the feel of the tingle running over his hands, from all the blows he had delivered, it was a sensation he hadn't felt in all too long. Bending down he picked up the demon just as the demons clawed hand closed around the bag that Spike had dropped whilst he'd been pounded on. Spike held the demon suspended over his head preparing to throw him.

"No!" Xander shouted drawing Willow's gaze from where she was holding the beam with some difficulty now that Angelus had released it as he slide out from under it.

"Spike, not in the hole!" Willow cried dropping just as Angelus slide his foot out of the way and got to his feet.

Spike ignoring their cries tossed the demon headlong into the open fissure of the hellmouth and a moment later another tremor stronger than the first rocked the ground beneath them. Looking around at the pale angry faces that were staring at him Spike gave them a confused look. "What? I was helping!"

"Yeah, the apocalypse!" Xander grumbled.

Buffy delivered another blow to the demon sending it stumbling back as it fought to keep its balance, she looked up at the roof above them, seeing it tremble and bits of debris beginning to fall down. "Get out of here!" She shouted to her friends. "The buildings going to come down!" She warned just as a second beam dropped and hit Spike over the head, knocking him to the ground. Running over Xander helped him up just as Willow joined them and began helping the slightly disorientated Spike out of the hole, more debris beginning to drop down around them.

Angelus glanced over at his Childe for a moment, seeing that he was climbing up out of the pit with Buffy's friends, he turned his full attention to Buffy who was hurriedly now, beating up on the demon. Doing her best to end it quickly. Watching for a moment longer as she dropped down to pick up a bit of wood that had fallen from above and slam it in the demon, attempting to kill it only for the bit of wood to only enrage the demon instead of maiming it like Buffy had intended. With a roar it backhanded her viciously sending her to the ground and immediately Angelus moved into prevent the demon from finishing off his girl. Only to pause again in surprise as seemingly out of nowhere Riley grasped the demons arm from behind preventing it from delivering another blow. Angelus snarled angrily definitely not liking the fact that the boy had shown up… the last thing Buffy needed was another distraction, it was bad enough with her little friends running around beneath her feet, forcing her to keep an eye on them; knowing that if they got into trouble that they would need her, but now she had 'him' as well… a guy she didn't really know to deal with… something that could be more hindrance than help on the battlefield… if you couldn't trust that they could hold their own…

Buffy stared at Riley somewhat surprised; wondering how he had known to come here. "Don't let it jump in the hellmouth." She told him as she sat for a moment longer on the ground catching her breath slightly. Her words ending just as the demon grabbed Riley and throws him unceremoniously across the pit. Buffy winced as Riley landed and quickly jumped up to her feet once again. Her gaze going to Angelus as he made it over to her. "Get out of here." She told him as the demon kicked Riley harshly in the stomach dropping him back down to the ground, just a moment after he had managed to stand back up.

Angelus shook his head at her firmly. "Not unless you are." He said flatly as he watched completely unconcerned for the boy as the demon continued to pound on Riley. Buffy stared at Angelus for a moment, not sure whether to be annoyed or touched that he refused to leave without her. Another beam fell behind them and Buffy turned her gaze from her love, as much as she wanted to know that he was safe and out of harms way, she didn't have time to stand around and argue the point with him.

She ran over to Riley, distracting the demon who was about to deliver another kick to his downed form. She slugged him harshly in the face and ducked swiftly as it retaliated, narrowly missing being sliced with its claws. The demon growled as if in pain and she looked up to see that Angelus was standing close behind her, his arm swiftly lowering from the blow it had delivered. Smiling despite herself, Buffy rose to her full height as she began fighting beside Angelus, the both of them beating up on the demon in tandem… and it felt so right… just as it had done when she had been fighting alongside Angel… fighting a demon together… anticipating its moves and theirs… moving around each other with an ease that seemed so natural.

Riley spat blood on the pit floor, his gaze going to Buffy and her boyfriend a small scowl darkening his brow as he watched them both move in a way that he doubted that he ever could. It was so graceful and powerful… almost seemingly like a dance… a deadly dance… Struggling up to his feet, his body aching from the hits it had taken. He watched as Buffy took a blow to the face and fell back for a moment and Angelus seemed to move in, taking up the slack as he delivered an uppercut, whilst Buffy got back to her feet, shaking the blow off like it was nothing special and got right back into the fray… they been at it for far longer than him tonight and had to have taken more damage than him… and yet he was the one that was aching all over whilst they still looked fresh if not slightly dusty and sweaty.

Buffy delivered a solid kick that sent the demon flying back across the pit. He heard something crack above him and he looked up his eyes widening and a cry escaping him as a beam dropped down, landing on him. His cry distracting both Buffy and Angelus as they turned in the direction of the nose. Angelus rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze following Buffy as she hurried over to help Riley throw the beam off of him. Behind them noticed for now the last Vahrall demon grasped the 'Word of Valios' picking it up from where it had fallen on the ground, before crawling over to the fissure sliding in head first, his feet disappearing just as everyone turned their attention back to it. Buffy's eyes narrowed and immediately stepped forward, determination in her stride… even as she swallowed thickly not really ready to say goodbye to the life that had only really just started to get good. "I'm going in." She said solemnly as she reached Angelus' side, forcing herself to not hesitate or even look at him… knowing that if she did she'd lose her nerve and not want to do what she knew she must.

She was waylaid however as a strong hand grasped her arm bringing her up short. She looked up at Angelus question and regret in her eyes. "I'm not letting you die." Angelus growled determinedly. Pressing a quick hard kiss to her lips, Angelus released her and to Buffy's complete surprise darted forward himself a loud cry of pain and panic escaping her as she watched the love her life dive in… doing what she was supposed to. She moved to race towards the fissure only for another hand to grasp her other arm and she looked up at Riley who was looking at the fissure as the ground began to shake under them angrily once again.

Up on the ledge Spike swore softly. "Bloody hell." He muttered. "I never thought I'd see the day, that old poof would care about someone else more than himself." He grumbled, his words met by silence as Willow and Xander stared at the fissure in the ground Angelus had disappeared through shocked.

Angelus squinted as hot wind swept passed him, his eyes focusing on the demon that was free falling his hand still grasping the talisman tightly. Angelus gritted his teeth, determined to survive this. He wasn't ready to leave, Buffy… but nor was he ready to let her leave him… self-sacrifice was in her nature… sure she'd stop the world from ending, but she'd let herself die in the process… believing that that was the only way… or some such rot! Angelus' hand snagged the demon by the leg and it growled looking up at him. Angelus paid the demon no attention as he looked around the hole that was large than he expected. Seeing a large rock protruding from one side of the rounded hole he reached out intending to grasp it.

In the pit Buffy shoved Riley off her, her heart pounding heavily in her chest, tears pricking at the back of her eyes as she rushed over to the ledge and peered down into the fissure. Her eyes searching desperately for any sign of Angelus. Her heart skipped a beat seizing in her chest for a moment as her eyes caught sight of a small speck far down the hole, squinting at it she smiled in relief tears of relief filling her eyes as she recognised Angelus through the haze of heat that was being admitted from the fissure. Taking a few steps back she moved to dive into the fissure herself… her ears picking up soft cries of surprise coming from Willow and Xander as the continued to watch… anxiously waiting for their friend to make it to safety as well.

She was halted once again by Riley grasping her arm and she frowned at him in annoyance more than ready to throw him off of her so that she could go down and attempt to save the love of her life and the world as he clung for dear life to the side of the opening. "I'm going in there." She growled angrily, getting ready to wrench her arm free of Riley's grip.

But she paused as Riley nodded his understanding. "You're coming back out." He said as he lifted his free hand up so that she could see a hook attached to a cable that he was holding. Buffy nodded as Riley released her arm and quickly fastened the hook to her belt, before stepping back quickly, Buffy following him for a few short steps as Riley backed up further putting a sufficient amount of distance between him and the hole, not wanting to be accidently tugged into the hole after her… not much point to the cable then…

Buffy didn't waste another moment as she took a few quick steps towards the fissure and jumped head first into it, her eyes focusing on Angelus as she free fell for a long moment, her eyes squinting against the rush of hot air, the sound of it roaring in her ears as she gathered speed. Getting closer to Angelus she reached out, clawing at the wall with her hands, needing to slow herself down. She grimaced as her fingers scrapped over the rocky surface for a long moment, hurting her fingers as they scraped over the rock. But she slowed and eventually stop just above where Angelus hung on to the rock with one hand. "What are you doing?" Angelus growled, sweat beading on his brow from the heat of hell… memories beginning to resurface at the feel of the uncomfortable heat… the heat was nothing compared to the hell dimension he'd been in before, but it was still uncomfortable…

"Saving your ass." Buffy quipped as she awkwardly climbed down to cling to the wall beside him. "See, cable." She said taking one of her hands off the wall to point up at the cable that was above her.

Angelus smirked. "Well, I guess that military brat came in handy after all." He grunted.

Buffy rolled her eyes, an amused smile curling up her lips as she reached out a hand towards him. "Come on, let's get out of this hellhole." She shouted as a sudden hotter burst of air burst up around them as the hellmouth roared, hungry for the last of the ritual to be performed. Angelus nodded and released the wall, falling again for only a short moment as his hand grasped Buffy's firmly. Buffy swallowed as she clung to the wall one handed, the strain of it making her tremble as she held up not just her weight but Angelus' and the demons. Releasing the wall after a moment she sent them plummeting again, reaching for the cable she grasped it firmly…

Riley felt the cable begin to move again this time with a hell of a lot more weight and he grunted as he began to slide forward. He dug in his toes as he swiftly wrapped the cable around a piece of rebar that was sticking out of a chunk of risen up concrete. He felt the cable jerk under his hands, as someone tugged at it, and immediately he locked the cable, preventing it from sliding out any further jerking the people on the other end to a sudden halt as he began pulling them back up, sweat beading on his brow as he braced himself against the concrete as he forced himself to keep going, to keep drawing Buffy up to the surface… determined not to see her die. A few damnably long moments for Riley he saw an arm come rise up out of the fissure and a moment later Buffy came into view as she tried to pull herself up by one hand. Riley hurried forward, his arms grasping her as he began helping pull her up. "Buffy." He said in relief, before his gaze went past her to see Angelus hanging off her other arm and the demon hanging from his. He gave his head a small shake, amazed that she was managing to hold that much weight with just the one arm. "Hang on." He urged as he groaned as he began help Buffy crawl out taking as much of her weight as he could without tumbling down into the fissure.

Buffy breathed heavily as she climbed completely out of the pit dragging Angelus up as much as could with her arm, a sound of effort escaping her as she tugged with all her remaining strength. She felt Angelus let go and her still pounding heart skipped a beat, before she saw him clinging to the dirty pit floor, shifting around so that she could help him, she pulled him the rest of the way out of the pit, whilst Angelus tugged up the demon that was still handing heavily from his other arm. Making it out safely Buffy collapsed down beside him breathing heavily a hand on her chest as she eyed the demon waiting to see if it was going to try jumping into the fissure again, but the demon shifted only slightly…looking at the fissure for a short moment, before it slumped against the pit floor, breathing its last breath as the earth shook around them heavily for a long moment more before it fell quiet… the moment that the ritual could be completed passing causing the hellmouth to fall restlessly quiet as it always was… drawing unsuspecting demons into it clutches in an attempt to be opened allowed to boil freely as it had once been able to long, long ago.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow and Xander sighed in relief as Buffy walked out into the hall they had retreated to once the shaking had threatened to toss them all down into the pit where rubble had been falling all over the place. They didn't get a chance to say anything though as Riley who hadn't been expecting to see them immediately began talking nervously, trying to explain his presence. "Well, hey! Willow… and Xander, right?" He said loudly drawing their gaze as they looked him over as he stood before him decked out in his military uniform. "Jeez, what are the chances, huh?" He asked nervously as he glanced over at Buffy, hoping for help in covering up why he was here. But Buffy wasn't really looking at him as she stood with a hand over her chest. "Yeah, I was just passing by when I thought I heard people inside." He said, hoping that it sounded plausible.

"Passing by in your GI Joe outfit?" Willow murmured with a knowing raised eyebrow.

Riley looked down at himself having forgotten that he'd been wearing it, before looking to Buffy for help, only to find that she still wasn't paying all that much attention to him… if any at all. "Oh, uh… But… uh, it's… Paintball!" He exclaimed seizing on the first idea that came to him. "Yeah, I was playing paintball. And then the aftershocks…"

"So," Xander began cutting off Riley mid ramble. "You're one of the commando guys, huh?"

"Oh, no, no, no, no." He denied hurriedly his heart beating uncomfortably in his chest as he tried to search his mind for a believable response only for his brain to have gone completely blank in the process. "Commando? No, I mean…" He floundered before trailing off as his gaze landed on Spike who was watching him with a vaguely amused expression on his face; a face that seemed vaguely familiar. "Don't I know you?" He asked, completely giving up on trying to explain himself.

"Me?" Spike said a little nervously, before he cleared his throat affecting a Texan accent, that when he spoke did sound near as good as he'd been hoping. "No. No, sir. I'm just an old pal of, Xander's, here." Spike said as he clapped the boy he could hardly stand on the shoulder; picking out of all of them simply because he was closest to him.

"Oh." Riley murmured little doubtfully before shrugging it off he was a friend of Xander's it was possible that he'd seen him about campus when Xander had visited Buffy. "That's nice." The moment he turned his gaze away Spike took his hand off Xander and Xander took a small step away from the vampire.

Xander moved so that he stood on the other side of Willow who gave him a small amused smile as she imagined just what thoughts were running through her best friends mind at having Spike declare him an old friend and put a familiar hand on his shoulder… the thought almost enough to make her laugh, but she managed to keep her composure. Xander's arm brushed gently against the ruined wall of the hall they were standing in, the sleeve of his shirt brushing up against something that was stuck to the wall. The light touch of his shirt made something come loose and it fell, landing on his shoulder with a squelching sound. The extra unfamiliar weight drawing his attention, the moment his eyes landed on the piece of flayed meat that had fallen from the wall and had found a new home on his shoulder making his face twist into an expression of disgust and horror, before he let out a sound that was very much like a squeal; something that he would feel deep embarrassment about later. "Ooh, God… get it off!" He cried as he spun around his hand reaching up trying to touch it, before he took off down the hall, the feel of it seeping through shirt to be felt most keenly against his skin.

Willow, who had jumped at the sudden sound, couldn't help her laughter at her friends reaction, before she took off after him, struggling to keep up as she fought down her laughter. Spike didn't hesitate in following himself, planning on taking great pleasure in mocking the boy who was at this moment running like a mad thing through-out the unstable school. His shrieks still being heard further up the hall.

Riley turned away from the scene, unsure what to make of it and wondering why Buffy let her friends take part in their mission when they didn't seem so cut out for it. Angelus shook his head. "Nerves of steel." He muttered as he stood with his arms crossed, his amusement only visible through the dark twinkle in his deep brown eyes.

"Don't be too hard on him." Buffy mumbled as she looked in the direction her friends had raced off in, sounds of them still in the school still reaching her keen ears. "I don't think I'd be too happy about having a piece of flayed Mayor fall on me either."

Riley looked from one to the other, not sure what to say, but wanting to say something, but everything he had in mind, didn't seem to suit the tension he could begin to fill in the hallway as he stood looking at Buffy and Angelus who didn't even really seem to be fully aware that he was still standing there. "Uh, I guess I'll see you around at school." He finally managed lamely, before he turned to walk away, silently scolding himself for not coming up with anything better. He shot them a last look and saw that they were still standing silently… waiting… waiting for him to leave he guessed, with a soft sigh Riley continued on his way, silently vowing that he'd talk to Buffy later about this.

Buffy heard Riley leave, and she turned her gaze to Angelus, her hand that hadn't left her chest fell from it; her heart still beating a wild tattoo in her chest as she looked up at him, knowing that she could have lost him tonight… lost him to a cause that she had dragged him into, simply because she was The Slayer and he didn't want anything to happen to her. Tears that she had been holding back threatening to well in her eyes as she stalked towards him, as soon as she reached him she shoved him up against the wall. "Don't you ever do that to me again!" She demanded as she punched his chest, with what classified as girlie punches, but still had a bite to them, that had Angelus wanting to groan with each blow she landed to his chest. "I thought I'd lost you!" She cried, her hot tears beginning to spill down her cheeks as she delivered a couple more punches to his chest.

Angelus caught Buffy's hands by her wrists, stopping her from continuing her assault. "I know," He murmured sincerely, knowing exactly what she was feeling; having felt it himself when he realized that she was planning to jump in herself. "But… but I couldn't bear the thought of losing you… not so soon after winning you back."

Buffy swallowed thickly, her heart swelling at his words, even as it continued to beat harshly in her chest; the image of him disappearing into the fissure in the floor of what used to be the Sunnydale High library, still haunting her, making her heart clench. "You couldn't bear it?" She murmured her voice cracking slightly as she pulled one of her hands free of Angelus' to wipe at her eyes. "How do you think I would feel?! To lose you! To lose you again!" Angelus winced, before he brought the hand he still had a grasp on up to his lips and pressed an affectionate kiss to the palm of her hand, before wrapping his arms around her and pressing her against his chest, seeking to comfort her, whilst being silently thrilled by her reaction. Buffy pressed her face against Angelus chest, falling silent as she breathed in the spicy scent that he favoured, letting the fact that he had survived… that they had survived sink in, that an earthquake had come and gone and her life hadn't been taken. Taking a breath she looked up at him. "Just don't do that again." She muttered, her voice softer than before, but no less serious.

Angelus smirked. "I think I can safely promise that." He said agreeably. "If you promise to never jump into another hell dimension."

Buffy couldn't help, but smile in return, her heart finally beginning to relax in her chest, soothed by the strong feel of his familiar arms around her holding her against his chest. "I believe I can do that. Jumping into hell holes isn't something I'm looking to repeat… ever." She assured him.

Angelus smiled down at her and slid his arms from around her, feeling satisfied with her promise. She wasn't the type to break them… and neither was he… A crashing sound came from the library, drawing their gaze in that direction for a moment. "Come on, let's get out of here, before the whole place comes crashing down around us."

Buffy gave a small nod. "We should find the others."

Angelus pouted immediately. "Do we have to?" He asked drawing Buffy's gaze up to him again. "I mean… there's only so much I can stand of that little… Xander," Angelus said after deciding to edit what he had been originally going to say. "Before I want to just wring his… well you get the picture."

"He's my friend, Angelus." Buffy said pointedly before moving off down the hall leaving it for Angelus to decide whether or not he wanted to follow her or not.

Angelus sighed deeply in an attempt to brace himself for the annoyance he was sure to feel the moment he clamped eyes on the obnoxious little brat, before he followed after Buffy, quickly catching her up. "Yeah, but why does he have to be so annoying?"

Buffy looked over at him, her gaze slightly curious. "What is it about him that annoys you so much?"

Angelus gave a shrug and remained silent for a moment as all the reason for disliking the boy came to mind… and all of them he was sure wouldn't sit well with her at this moment in time, so he merely smirked down at her. "There's too many for me to be bothered to name." He murmured cheekily.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander shuddered as Willow finally managed to get the bit of Mayor off his shoulder. "Why does The Mayor meat, have to fall on me." He grumbled as he looked at the stain on his shirt.

Willow gave him a sympathetic shrug, the funny having finally worn off after all the chasing she had been forced to do to just get the bit of extra crispy meat off him. "Maybe it senses that you're the weakest link. I mean The Mayor did die a demon, right? Demons have a thing for going after the weak. The scream so easily." Spike mocked, a smirk curling up his lips as he imagined all the fun he would be having with the boy tonight. Suddenly being strapped to the sodden sleeping chair, that he claimed as his, didn't seem so bad. Walking passed the two heading towards the door he began whistling a happy little tune.

Willow gave Xander's hand a comforting squeeze trying to make him feel better, before they began reluctantly following Spike towards the exit of the closed down High school, hoping that they would run into Buffy along the way.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy hesitated a moment as she stood outside the door that she had been told belonged to Riley where he was inside at this moment… throwing something at the door from what she could hear… Angelus wouldn't be happy about her being here… she could imagine the dark scowl that would darken his brow at the very idea of it, but… as much as she appreciated his warning, she still wanted to talk to Riley… she wasn't sure how well the conversation would go over, but she felt that she at least had to try…

Raising a hand she knocked on the door a moment later she heard his voice through the door allowing her entrance. Opening the door, Buffy looked around a little curiously, before she closed the door behind her as she stepped completely into the room. "Buffy?" Riley said surprised, throwing the ball he had been holding in the rough direction of where he kept them.

"Uh, hey." Buffy said a little awkwardly as she rested her gaze on Riley. "I'm sorry for just dropping by…"

"No, not at all…" Riley said hurriedly, feeling flustered by her sudden unexpected visit. "I'm glad that you came." A moment of silence stretched between them, a silence that Riley swiftly broke. "That was quiet some ride last night huh."

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about." Buffy said as she shifted her feet, stepping away from the door a little more.

"Oh?" Riley questioned as he straightened up a little, one of his hands coming up to scratch at the bandage that was still over his nose.

"It's dangerous, what I do… what you do." She added a little begrudgingly. "It's not something that I would choose for anybody."

"Buffy," Riley cut in. "I love my work. It's more than I could have ever dreamed of when I was a boy growing up. And I go into work every day excited to see what will happen today. How many people can truthfully say that they have fun…"

"Fun!" Buffy cut him off, her voice getting a hint of anger to it. "I know a person who is in a coma for the rest of her life, because she had so much fun on the job!" She took a breath. "What I do isn't for amateurs."

"Amateur?" Riley interrupted, affronted by the term. "I'm highly trained."

"Yeah, I'm sure you are… trained by a bunch of military GI Joes that haven't got a clue what it's really like out there."

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Riley denied firmly, his belief in what he did not wavering.

"No, Riley I do know what I'm talking about… I know it better than you could ever possibly hope to understand… Look, I'm not trying to insult you or belittle what you do… but I think that you should get out… get out whilst you still have your life… whilst you still have a chance at that shiny speck that is a normal life."

Riley sank down on the foot of his bed and Buffy moved towards him concerned at how pale his face suddenly looked. "Are you alright?" She asked.

"Oh, I'm fine." He muttered as he looked down at the carpet he could see between his spread knees. "Apart from the fact that I'm a dead man… secret. Highly… or it's supposed to be. And then… you find out; ok, I can deal. You're special. But last night with your friends… that was a disaster." He said a little thickly as he looked up at Buffy again. "I mean, could I've been less convincing? I was trained to be sneaky and stuff and I'm like… 'Hi! Paintball… just passing by!' I should have just given them my security code and rank!" Riley blurted out in his rant.

"You have a security code and rank?" Buffy asked curiously, momentarily about what she had been about to say before he'd said that.

Riley gave her a pained look. "No… did I just say…?" He sighed a scrubbed a hand roughly through his short brown hair. "This is so not good. Everybody knows about me… I'm finished… It's the end of the world."

Buffy laughed she couldn't help herself, earning another pained look from Riley. "No, it's not." She assured him. "Last night… that was the end of the world… or it would have been if we hadn't stopped it…" Riley's pained looked turned to one of surprise, not having expected what he had seen last night to be anything as serious as all that. "As for Willow and Xander knowing about…"

"Let's not forget your super-powered sidekick," It was Buffy's turned to give Riley a slightly confused look. "Angelus." He elaborated. "And that peroxide hair guy."

"I don't think he'd like being called a side-kick." Buffy murmured a little pensively as she imagined the look that would darken Angelus face if he ever heard anyone talk about him like that… and the thrashing he would dish out to the speaker. Before she gave her head a small shake as she turned her mind back to the matter at hand. "Don't worry about that… they are all very good at keeping secrets… they've been keeping mine for years ya know." She assured him with a small smile.

"And you also tell me that I should give up my job for some boring 9-5 gig." Riley added on.

Buffy shrugged a slightly pained look crossing her face for a moment. "Some of us would give almost anything for a normal 9-5 job." She muttered, before giving a little sigh. "Look, I'm not telling you that you have to quit, but that I think that you should. People in this line of work don't tend to live long… take it from someone who knows." Buffy turned away from him and began to head for the door, having said what she had wanted to say; there was nothing more she could really do aside from let him mull it over and come to his own decision.

Riley stood and stepped after her. "Wait." He called and Buffy paused in her stride as she turned to face him. "Meet them… the people I work with." Riley said, surprising Buffy, an emotion that showed clearly on her expressive face as she continued to stare at him. "I'm sure that all this will be so much easier to explain if I have you there… I mean you know a lot more about what went down and… what you are… then I do…" Riley began trailing off as he began to feel more and more uncomfortable under Buffy's unblinking surprised stare.

Buffy swallowed as a small thoughtful frown pulled down her brow as she considered what she should do… Angelus' warning ringing around her ears as she thought about what Riley was offering… a chance to get intimate inside knowledge of the military group he worked for…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow and Xander sat curled up comfortably on a couch in Xander's basement their eyes glued to the TV as they ate popcorn from a bowl sat between them. Spike who had been pacing around impatiently, his blood still up from earlier walked in front of the TV his body blocking their view of the screen, without a word the two merely shifted as they tried to see around him. "What's this? Sitting around watching telly while there's evil still afoot." Spike said as he looked down at the moving figures on the screen, not in the least bit interested in what they were watching, reaching down he switched off the TV. "That's not very industrious of you." He turned around to face Willow and Xander who were staring up at him with frowns of annoyance at his interruption… as well as slight bemusement.

"I say we go out there," Rubbing his hands together in glee at the thought of going out and causing more pain; even if it was the blood of other demons, he'd been cooped up to long unable to hurt anything, that he didn't give damn. "And kick a little demon ass!" He crowed one of his hands curled up in a fist pumped the air. A fist which he lowered as Willow and Xander merely continued to stare at him… their annoyed expression having turned to ones of blank shock. "What, can't go without your Buffy, is that it?" He asked. "To chicken? Let's find her!" He urged, willing to put up with her if it meant that he could go out and spread some serious pain. "She is the Chosen One after all." Spike's expression turned slightly exasperated as he still got no reaction from the two sitting on the couch before him… looking as if they weren't going to move anytime soon. "Come on! Vampires! Grrr!" He curled his hands into claws at them trying to encourage them into action. "Nasty! Let's annihilate them. For justice," He added willing to say anything to get them up off the couch and out the door. "And for the safety of puppies… and Christmas, right?" He floundered as he tried to think of the things that goodie-goodie two-shoes fought for. "Let's fight that evil! Let's kill something!" He urged, trying to get them pumped and receiving nothing, but looks that had changed now to slightly concerned. "Oh, come on!" Spike growled growing frustrated.

Willow leaned in towards Xander her voice low, her gaze never leaving Spike who was still staring down at them. "Do you think we should call, Buffy?"

"For what standing in front of the TV?" He mumbled back, his eyes too glued on Spike.

"Well, she'd at least be able to move him." Willow muttered, as she wondered just what was happening in the movie right now, whilst Spike was blocking the TV.

"Yeah, do that." Spike said a little too eagerly. "Call up The Slayer, get her lazy ass over here."

"Ok, now he's entered full creepy mode." Xander said.

"Do you think perhaps, that conk to the head mighta broke something in his brain?" Willow asked, her voice a little concerned.

Spike scowled at them both. "Hey, my brain is just fine… aside from the chip in my brain…" Willow and Xander looked up at him doubtfully. "Oh come on! I wanna kill something!" Spike yelled, almost pleaded with them.

**A/N:** Well I hope you all enjoyed what I've done with chapter 11. Please let me know what you thought of it :) Your opinions help keep the muse motivated ;p


	12. Chapter 12 a new man

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of the characters mentioned in the cannon.

**A/N:** Yay, this chapter is finally completed! It was a little surprising just how hard it was for me to get this chapter where I wanted it. But as always thank you to all of you reviewed the last chapter and please know that I am endeavouring to get out review replies as I appreciate every single one.

**THERE IS MOSTLY DEFINITELY A SMUT WARNING IN THIS CHAPTER! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED LOL**

**CHAPTER 12**

**A New Man**

Buffy stood with her back to Angelus who was laying on his bed watching her as she stood in front of the open drawer that he had cleaned out for her and was now filling with the stuff that she had decided to leave at Angelus' mansion. "So, I agreed to meet Professor Walsh. I can't believe that one of my Professor's is a part of this military get up as a commander no less. But I suppose that explains why she's all dragon lady scary." Buffy said as she finished putting the last of her belongings from her overnight bag in the drawer, and she heard Angelus give an annoyed growl and she let out a little sigh. She'd known that he wouldn't be all that happy about it. Closing the drawer she turned around a sheepish expression on her face as she met Angelus' unhappy gaze. "Don't be angry, Angelus." Buffy pleaded, she didn't want to get into a fight with him today of all days. "I need to find out more about this military group and what better way to do that, than to infiltrate them." She murmured her hazel gaze hopeful as she continued to stare at Angelus; her teeth sinking into her lower lip.

Angelus stared at her in silence for a long moment, before he sighed. "I'm not angry." He muttered as he ran a hand through his spiked up hair. "I'm worried about you." He admitted, the words almost sticking in his throat.

Buffy's expression relaxed completely and she gave him a small smile. "Hey," She murmured as she slowly stepped towards him. "These military vigilantes really have you tied up in anxious knots, don't they?" She murmured as she sat down on the bed beside Angelus, one of her hands coming up to rest on one of his knees.

"I'm not tied up in knots." Angelus disagreed, his hand coming to rest of over Buffy's; curling his fingers around hers. "I just don't trust them at all."

"You've said that before," Buffy murmured a small frown darkening her brow. "You've run into these guys before, haven't you?" She muttered, her frown deepening, feeling a little peeved that he had held that back.

Angelus sighed; his hand tightening ever so slightly around Buffy's to ensure that she couldn't pull her hand away from him. "I don't know." He grumbled. "I might have… years ago… when I was still locked under the soul. They forced me to help them out on a mission."

Buffy frowned again. "What kind of mission?"

Angelus smirked, recalling the only part of the entire experience that amused him. "Saving American soldiers in a submarine from Nazi's… one of which was Spike… it's how he decided he liked his hair that peroxide blond." He muttered.

"And you really think that it's the same group?" Buffy asked.

"That's just it I can't be sure. These guys are so damned secretive that I can't find out a blasted thing about them; except that they like to snatch demons off the street and preform experiments on them. And I only know that much because Spike managed to use what little brains he has to orchestrate an escape. If he hadn't of managed that, all I'd have is that demons are being snatched off the street and not seen again." He grumbled frustrated. "And I don't like the idea of you going in there alone. They are a fully form military unit and you're just one girl."

Buffy couldn't stop the slightly sardonic smile that curled up her lips as she squeezed his hand. "It's funny, normally that's my line."

"This isn't a joke, Buffy. You're a hell of a girl… you're my girl… but you're going to be alone outnumbered and outgunned…" Angelus said seriously.

"Hey, I'm not going in there stake drawn and fists flying. I'm just getting in, getting information on their military asses and getting out. I'm not signing on for a membership or nothing."

"I don't trust them." Angelus grumbled.

Buffy brought their joined hands up from Angelus' lap and pressed a kiss into the back of his hand. "Then trust me." She urged quietly.

"I do." Angelus sighed, still not liking this one little bit, his bad feeling still curling around in his stomach. _'They preform experiments on demons… torture?'_ Angelus couldn't stop his mind from thinking; the thought making him swallow thickly.

"Good!" Buffy exclaimed happily as she lowered their hands from her face. "Now, let's change the subject. I'm not meeting Walsh about this whole military thing until tomorrow, and today I don't want to talk about it." She murmured. "I want today to be a Slayer-free zone. Today I just wanna be Buffy a college student who's spending her birthday,"

"With her vampire boyfriend?" Angelus finished for her, with a slightly raised eyebrow, his expression amused.

Buffy shrugged. "Well, maybe it isn't completely free of Slayer weirdness, but having a demon boyfriend is, I think, a valid life choice."

"Well, I'm glad you think so." Angelus murmured just as Buffy jumped up from his bed, releasing the hand that she had so comfortably been holding. Angelus followed her with his gaze. "So, what did you want to do for your 19th birthday?" He asked.

Buffy shrugged. "I don't know." She murmured with a little pout on her lips, it had been so long since she'd had a normal birthday celebration that she had no idea what she actually wanted, except… "All I know is that I want it to be a no slaying kind of deal. I want to break the Buffy birthday pattern of bloodshed and death."

"Well, I promise that'll control myself… no matter the provocation." Angelus murmured, his voice teasing.

"That should be easy for you, as this year there is not going to be a Buffy birthday bash. They all seem to end badly, before they can even really begin. So, I figure a quiet one." She explained.

"Well, I don't have any objections." He assured her with one of his most charming smiles curling up his lips. "Come back over here." He demanded softly. Buffy smiled and moved back towards the bed. Angelus shifted as she got closer, and Buffy took the hint and carefully arranged herself on his lap, her arms coming up to wrap around his neck, her hands burying themselves in his thick short hair. The familiar heat that Angelus could so easily arouse in her with a mere look or a touch settling in her core, before her lips even touched his and her hips rocked into his in an instinctual need that was as old as time.

She moaned as she felt his hands settle firmly on her hips, guiding their movements to come up against his already hard cock more firmly. Buffy moaned again, her eyes falling closed as she allowed him to control the rhythm of her hips; inhaling sharply as one of his hands moved up under her shirt, to caress the smooth toned skin of her stomach. Leaning down, she pressed her lips to Angelus'; their lips moving together, the contact muffling the next moan that rose up in Buffy's throat as the friction they were creating together built up between them. Their hands beginning to grope at their clothes; wanting the barrier preventing them from having skin to skin contact removed.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"So, is everything in order for tonight?" Willow asked as she looked from Xander to Anya, to Giles as they sat around Giles' living room.

"Uh," Xander reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small list. "I've got the party replies." He answered whilst handing over the small page to Willow; who nodded in delight.

"And I've made sure that it's alright that we use the rec room." Willow told them.

"What about, Angelus?" Xander asked, whilst Giles fiddled with his glasses, pretending the need to clean the lenses as. Whilst Anya stifled a yawn the proceedings of party planning that wasn't for her boring her. Willow cleared her throat a little uncomfortably, the memory of her awkward… rather scary meeting with Angelus in his mansion, which held such bad memories. "Did he agree to help?" He asked again when Willow remained silent for a little too long.

"Uh, yeah, I managed to get him to agree to keep Buffy occupied today, whilst Anya and I go get the party supplies and set up the rec room for tonight."

"I will?" Anya asked, surprised at suddenly being included in the preparations. Xander gave her a look. "Oh, I will. Yay," She mumbled trying to sound cheerful and happy about helping out when she really didn't feel like it.

Xander gave his girlfriend an encouraging look, before turning his attention back to Willow. "And what about, that other thing?" He asked.

"I, uh, got him to agree to help out with that too." Willow informed, rather pleased with her success in that regard having believed that she had been going on a fools' errand.

"Wow, Will. I'm impressed." Xander murmured, his expression mirroring his words.

Willow blushed slightly at the praise. "I'm not sure if it had much to do with me really, I think… that perhaps, he wanted to give her a good birthday… after so many bad ones in a row."

"Well, considering recent events, I believe that that is possible." Giles murmured, the words a little difficult to get out past the hatred he still bore towards the vampire; a hatred that had only just begun to lessen in its temper at seeing just how happy Buffy was with him… and how he treated her. He placed his glasses back on his nose. "And uh, here is my shared of the money for party supplies."

Anya licked her lips in sudden interest as the money passed from Giles to Willow. "Great, thanks, Giles. Now it's just the supplies we need and enough time to set up the rec room." She exclaimed happily.

"Speaking of which, I still don't think that a surprise party is the best of ideas." Giles uttered once again.

"Oh, come on Giles," Willow urged. "It'll be fun, and Buffy will be all happy and surprised when she's sees what we've done for her." She stood up. "Come on, Anya. We've still got a lot to do, before tonight." Anya sighed reluctantly even as she stood up to accompany Willow about the town for party supplies, urged on by Xander's encouraging smile.

"Girl's and their surprise parties, huh." Xander said with an affectionate shake of his head as he watched Anya and Willow head for the door, it making his heart swell to see his girlfriend getting along with his closest and best friend.

"Well, I dare say that it'll all turn out for the best. I just hope that Buffy takes the surprise well." Giles murmured.

"Come on, G-Man, it's a surprise party. What's not to like about that?" Xander asked as he got up to make himself a coffee.

Giles rubbed at his eyes behind his glasses. "Yes, I suppose you're right. And how many times do have to tell you not to call me that, awful name." Giles grumbled as he glared after Xander as the boy walked into his kitchen.

"Oh, come on, Giles. It's cool and hip with the times." Xander called from the kitchen.

"I'll give you cool and hip with the times." Giles muttered under his breath as he removed his hands from his suddenly tired eyes; a headache beginning to thrum between his temples in annoyance at the boy.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy let out a keening cry as she moved up and down on Angelus' cock; her thighs cradling Angelus' hips as she straddled him. His hands roaming over her body as he lifted his hips to meet her every thrust; the fact that he was allowing her to set the pace, to be in control as they moved together passion driving their every movement. Their eyes meeting for a long moment, before Buffy's eyes fluttered closed and her head arched back as she arched her chest forward one of her hands coming up to clutch heatedly at one of her breasts, her fingers finding the aching puckered nipple and rolled it between her splayed fingers. Her hand was not left to play with her nipple by itself for long as Angelus' hand covered her own and quickly had hers dropping from the needy flesh of her breast as his talented hand closed completely about her breast, his fingers tweaking and plucking at the hard nipple.

Buffy gasped out a moan her sheath clenching in desire around hi cock as she quickened her pace, her free breast moving freely with each vigorous movement of her body. His mouth closed over her breast, his tongue flicking over the nipple that was still caught between his clever fingers. Buffy cried out at the touch of his cool tongue against the hot sensitive flesh of her nipple, her body arching into him as her hands delved into his thick hair; her nails scrapping over his scalp. She felt a hand cup her other breast, his fingers plucking at her nipple as his other braced her back, holding her against him as they continued to move together in a more urgent need as their passion swiftly grew with each movement.

Buffy's eyes fluttered open to stare down at Angelus' dark head, her eyes taking in the mussed points of his previously immaculately styled hair. Her sheath clenching about him with every upward thrust of his cock; seeking to draw him deeper inside of her… to keep him inside of her longer. Angelus groaned as he once again felt Buffy's tight warm sheath clench around his driving cock. "Oh, fuck, Buff!" He moaned under his breath, his mouth releasing her breast, his hands tightening about her, before he flipped them on the bed; removing his cock from Buffy's sheath, causing a moan of denial to fall from Buffy's parted lips, her eyes gazing up at Angelus lustily. Her body writhing with the aching desire to feel him upon her; inside of her once again.

She wasn't left aching long as Angelus settled himself on top of her; her legs wrapping around his hips immediately locking him in place. "Hold on, Buff." Angelus chuckled huskily as Buffy rubbed herself wantonly against his hard cock, in her desire to have him inside her once again; accidentally hindering him in her impatience. Grasping her hips with one hand; pinning them to the mattress and grasping his cock in the other, he heard Buffy cry out in ecstasy as he thrust himself back inside of her with a swift smooth motion; seating himself inside of her to the hilt easily with the aid of her wetness. Buffy raised her hips off the soft mattress to meet his next thrust, not being able to lie idle underneath him with the amount of passion that was heating up her body; driving her on towards the climax her body was aching for… that Angelus had promised her with just a mere look of his eyes from across his room.

Angelus growled lustily as he felt Buffy's nails dig sharply into his back, before they racked downwards, breaking the skin for a short moment, before it healed with the preternatural speed of the vampiric. His mouth falling on her flesh, tasting its natural saltiness and the sweat that was building on her skin as he worked her body up to the heights of pleasure; a skill he had mastered centuries before he had met Buffy. Skills he was now using to pleasure his mate-to-be eager to make up for every slight he had grieved her with during the first two years he'd been a part of her life with every opportunity she gave him.

Buffy thrust her hips up against Angelus' harder than before as she felt his blunt human teeth scrape of the skin of her breast, before his mouth closed about a small spot of sensitive flesh and sucked harshly and Buffy cried out her body arching in a confused response as pain shot sharply from the spot where his mouth was latched onto her breast. Angelus groaned against her skin, Buffy's cry still ringing in his ears delightfully spurring him on as her sheath clenched about him strongly as her body tried to work out what was going on with the conflicting sensations he was giving her as he continued to thrust into her welcoming sheath. Angelus lifted his head from her breath giving the bruised skin a soothing lick, before coming up to catch her lips in a heated kiss, his tongue mimicking the thrusts of his lower body.

Buffy pulled her mouth from Angelus' after a long moment as she felt the beginnings of her orgasm consuming her body in that all-consuming heat that was rising inside of her; burning hotter with each thrust of his cock. "Ange-lus!" Buffy cried out breathlessly as her orgasm crashed over her, sending spiralling in a wave of hot pleasure that had her seeing white flashing spot behind her closed eyelids as she clung to Angelus desperately, feeling his cool seed filling her burning womb as he joined her in the throughs of passion.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus gazed down at Buffy, his dark brown eyes affectionate matching the smile that curled up his lips as he watched Buffy sleep. Her face still flushed from their earlier passion, the fine cotton of his red sheets haphazardly covering her sated body. Angelus reached out, carefully moving some of her golden blond hair from her forehead; not wanting to wake her just yet, but he wasn't careful enough as at the soft touch Buffy shifted a little restlessly in her sleep and one of her arms came up to wipe over her forehead, where the slight tickle of her hair being moved disturbing her. Its job done, her arm fell back towards the mattress only to land against Angelus's chest. Angelus stared down at her hand for a moment, her fingers curled laxly in her sleep.

Reaching for her hand, he gently caressed her fingers, watching as they twitched slightly under his soft touch, Buffy groaned in her sleep tiredly, shifting once again on the mattress; her hand sliding off his chest. Her body arching slightly, stretching her muscles before she settled back down into sleep. Angelus' smiled brightened somewhat as he saw her settle back down into sleep; when not so long ago his slightest touch would have had her awake in a split second, her entire body on alert for an attack, but now… she trusted him enough to fall asleep beside him after an energetic round of sex; sex that left her looking well fucked and exhausted enough to have a midday nap. Angelus watched her for a moment longer, before he rolled over on the mattress facing away from his girl as he shimmied across the mattress towards the nightstand. Opening the top drawer he looking inside, his eyes immediately landing on the jewellery box that he had hidden in there, reaching in he picked it up, but hesitated as he did so, his eyes landing on Buffy's Claddagh ring.

He really wanted to see her ring back where it belonged on her left ring finger, with the heart pointing inwards, but he wasn't ready to attempt to give it to her. Fearing that she wouldn't want it. It hadn't been all the long since she had started to really put her faith in him again… to allow her heart to open up and let him in once again. It was still far too soon, to try and give her that ring again, it could wait, there was no rush for her to wear it again, and with the way things were going at the moment, it wouldn't be long, before it was time for him to give it back to her. Shutting the drawer without touching the ring, Angelus turned back towards Buffy's sleeping form, the necklace sized jewellery box clutched in his hand. Opening the jewellery box he stared down at the beautifully crafted, but simple necklace he had purchased for her not that long ago for her birthday.

The necklace was silver; the pendant was made of white gold formed in the shape in the Celtic symbol of eternity, diamonds encrusting the many curves of the design. Lifting the necklace out of the box, he set it aside on the nightstand. Moving back across his large bed to where Buffy lay still peacefully sleeping. Settling himself back down beside her, propping himself up on his elbow once again as he stared down at her sleeping form the affectionate smile once again curling up his lips. Angelus lifted the necklace he was holding delicately between his fingers, not wanting to accidentally break the fragile material with his preternatural strength. Hovering the necklace above Buffy's sleeping form; he moved his arm down her body, not letting the necklace touch her warm skin just yet.

Lowering his arm down so that the smooth rounded tip caressed over the toned skin of her lower abdomen and began tracing the cool surface of the pendant up her body. Buffy mumbled in her sleep, the sudden coolness running along her skin in lazy patterns disturbing her peaceful slumber, brushing at it, knocking the culprit off her. Angelus chuckled in amusement as he slide the necklace up over her stomach once again, slowly moving it up over her body, his gaze focused on the pendants path as he travelled it up over the swell of her chest, going up her right breast, circling it carefully around her nipple, making the sensitive bud pucker at the coolness of the metal as it touched her skin, the warmth of it slowly warming the metal but not fast enough to keep the metal from continuing to be noticed by her as Angelus trailed the necklace between the valley of her breasts and up the curve of her left breast, giving it the same attention with the necklace as the right.

Buffy's face screwed up for a moment as she tried to stay in the pleasant drifting state of sleep she'd been floating happily in. The coolness that was slowly beginning to heat up against her skin as it moved slowly around her left nipple. Letting out a soft sigh as she gave up on trying to go back to sleep and slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Angelus looming over her and she smiled, a little sleepily up at him, but his gaze wasn't on her face, but rather focused on her chest where she could feel the coolness circling her nipple. Looking down she caught sight of a delicate looking silver chain dangling from between two of Angelus' pinched together fingers. Following the chain, she saw an intricately designed pendant that was hanging attached to the chain. Reaching up for it, she held the pendant in the palm of her hand as she slowly sat herself up so that she could look at the pendant more comfortably. Angelus released the chain as he watched Buffy's reaction to his gift. "Oh, wow…" She murmured softly; her voice slightly awed as she looked down at the beautiful necklace. "It's gorgeous, Angelus!" She murmured as she continued to stare down at the pendant transfixed, her other hand coming up to trace over the lines feeling the slight bumps of the diamonds over the surface, on the pad of her finger.

"Happy birthday," Angelus murmured as he took in her reaction, feeling elated that she liked his gift and feeling bad at the same time that he hadn't bought her anything like this before. He hadn't really thought about buying her gifts, knowing that Buffy wasn't all that materialistic unlike the other women he had dated over the centuries, but seeing her reaction to the necklace; the joy on her face as she stared down at the beautiful piece he had selected for her, he wished he had. He'd just been so focused on winning her back with his words and actions… that he hadn't really even thought about giving her gifts… not wanting her to think that he was trying to buy her or anything…

Buffy managed to tear her gaze away from the first birthday present she had been given that day to look up at him. "Thank you." She murmured, before leaning in to give him a kiss, her lips touching his in an affectionate/grateful kiss. She hadn't expected to get anything from him, except his company… and she'd been happy with that… Angelus' gifts hadn't been all the pleasant in the past… but this one was gorgeous! She hadn't had a chance to wear it yet and try it out with different outfits, but she already knew that she loved it!

"Here, let me put it on you." Angelus murmured and Buffy nodded excitedly, sitting up completely and turning her back to Angelus as she lifted her hair out of the way. Angelus hooked the necklace around Buffy's neck, before releasing the chain completely to allow it to settle completely around Buffy's neck. Buffy touched the necklace, feeling the pendant resting against her skin coolly. Turning back around to face Angelus as she released her hair completely. "Thank you, I love it." She murmured, before she gave him another kiss.

Angelus groaned as Buffy slid her tongue past his lips to delve into his mouth, massaging his tongue and in that moment he regretted completely the fact that he had agreed to Willow's nervous pleading the other day, wanting nothing more than to lay back and go another round with his girl; as far as he was concerned there was no better way to spend a birthday… but he really didn't want to have to put up with his girls friends whining at him when the birthday girl didn't show up… Forcing himself to pull back, he delivered a playful swat to her ass. "Get up and jump under the shower." He told her, causing Buffy to give him a surprised look. "There's somewhere I want to take you tonight."

Buffy's expression cleared and she smiled up at him from the bed; spreading her still naked form out over the sheets. "So, where's this place you wanna show me?" She asked.

Angelus swallowed hard as he fought the urge to just lie back down with her, as she splayed her body out over the mattress, a seductive and yet nervous look on her face as she stared up at him hopefully.

Angelus kneeled back down on to the bed, looming over her, teasing her lips with his for a moment. "You'll find out when we get there." He breathed against her lips, before jumping back up off the bed, glad that he had tight control over his baser urges in that moment. Buffy pouted up at him from the bed for a moment, before her desire to see what Angelus' next surprise for her was, she jumped up off the bed and headed into Angelus' private bathroom, muttering 'tease' as she past him on her way in.

"Right back at ya." Angelus muttered under his breath as he watched Buffy disappear inside of it. restraining his desire to go in and join her, knowing that his self-control could only take so much, before it snapped and he ravished her for the rest of the night instead of following through with his promise to the annoying little red head that Buffy called friend.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy turned to face Angelus, raising an eyebrow at him. "My dorm room, really?" She asked, not having expected this to be the destination when she had left the mansion with Angelus. "This is what you wanted to show me? 'Cause I'm pretty sure that I've seen this place every day since I moved on campus." She stepped towards him a considering look in her hazel eyes. "Something that you know, so what are you up to, Angelus?" She asked.

Angelus shrugged having already thought up an excuse for when she asked this question. "I just thought that you might like to have the chance to change into fresh clothes." He replied simply.

Buffy gave him a searching look, something tell her that something was up, before she shrugged it off. "Who said that guys don't know what a girl wants?" She murmured.

"Some woman who didn't have as clever a guy as you do," Angelus murmured smugly, his gaze going to the alarm clock that was set up between the two beds, checking the time. _'Any time now.'_ He thought resignedly, knowing that his alone time with his girl was quickly coming to an end.

Buffy quickly sorted through her wardrobe, not wanting to keep Angelus waiting for too long. Throwing her shirt over her head as she came across a shirt that she wanted to wear; she'd just pulled it over her head when she heard the door to her dorm slam open and Willow's frantic voice. "We got trouble."

Buffy hurried out of her wardrobe, her elation over Angelus' surprise for her disappearing at Willow's words, as she straightened her fresh shirt. "What is it?" She asked seriously, hiding her disappointment at having her birthday gate-crashed by a demon once again.

"I was in the rec room. It came through the window." Willow explained, making herself sound a little puffed like she had run here.

"Vampire?" Buffy questioned wanting to know what she was dealing with.

"Vampire's don't breathe fire." Willow said, doing her best to keep her face straight and serious, as a smile itched to stretch up the corners of her lips.

Buffy looked at Willow slightly surprised, not having expected to hear something like that, something telling her that this wasn't going to be handled as quickly as she wanted it to be. "Oh, great, happy birthday to me," She muttered under her breath, her hand going to the pendant Angelus got her for a moment, before she quickly moved into action.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy moved stealthily down the hall with Willow and Angelus beside her, all three of them rounding a corner as they headed for the Stevenson Hall rec room. They walked a little further down the hall and Buffy handed him the large rifle sized crossbow that she had been carrying as she motioned with her other hand that he should go down the adjacent hall, which lead to another door to the rec room. Angelus took it and gave Willow an annoyed look as Buffy immediately began heading down her choice way to the rec room. Willow clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture, before she hurried after Buffy. Angelus weighed the crossbow in his hand for a moment, before he headed off down the hall Buffy had gestured towards. _'How'd I let that little Wiccan talk me into this?'_ He thought in irritation as he moved quietly down the hall… knowing full well that there wasn't any demon waiting for them in the rec room.

Buffy pulled a stake from the book bag she had packed full of weapons she had thought just might be helpful in taking down the fire breathing demon. "We have to make this fast." Buffy grumbled, definitely not happy about the demon appearance in her own dormitory hall. "I have better things to do tonight than kill." Willow smiled as she followed Buffy excitement filling her as they got closer to the door of the rec room. Buffy shoved open the door and strode in with a purpose, finding herself surprised at the complete darkness of the room and the complete lack of fire… or smell of chard wood and smoke. Willow had said that the demon breathed fire… the darkness didn't last long and Buffy had to blink as the lights suddenly came up as Willow flicked them on, her expression surprised as she took in the room. "SURPRISE!" Being shouted at her from the guests.

Quickly gathering her wits Buffy, hid the stake back into the book bag she had brought with her, recognising a few people from the dorm that both she and Willow where friendly with in the dorm, co-eds that didn't know her secret. "Guess you won't be killing anyone tonight, after all." Willow beamed proudly as she stepped up to Buffy, just as Angelus calmly walked in through the other door, the crossbow Buffy had pressed upon him nowhere in sight, having hidden it down the hall on his way to the door.

Buffy gave Willow a slightly annoyed look, having expressly said that she didn't want a party to celebrate her birthday, a wish her friends had obviously ignored, but still she smiled, touched at the effort her friends had put into setting up the party for her. "Don't be so sure." Buffy teased, as she looked up at the banner that had been hung up and the decorations that had been put up about the room. Her hand coming up to touch her brand new necklace once again, her quick mind putting the pieces together and she looked over at Angelus who was looking at her, but standing apart from everyone else close to the door he had entered through. She went to move towards him only to be ambushed by a few of her co-eds wanting to wish her happy birthday.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"Yeah, this is a lively space." Giles commented around a mouthful of cake, continuing his conversation with Xander and Anya who had come to the soccer table laden down with the variety of different party foods. "It's like the activity room we had at public school." He said just as two male students that had been invited to the party moved in around the soccer table looking to grab some food. "Sorry," Giles apologised with a small chuckle as he picked up his cup from the table, being sure to balance his paper plate that had a generous slice of cake on it as he stepped back from the table to give them room to move about the table. "I, uh," Giles continued to chuckle as he continued on with what he had been going to say to Xander and Anya before he'd been distracted by the two young men. "One time I, uh, I was up to a little bit of a prank with the dart board…"

"I'm bored." Anya interrupted, her attention focused on Xander, Giles story meaning nothing to her. "Let's eat." She murmured hopefully, wanting to be doing something she enjoyed.

Xander felt heat flood his cheeks at his girlfriend's rude remark. "Anya," He muttered sternly. "We've talked about this."

Anya gave him a put out look before focusing her gaze back on Giles. "I'm sorry, that was rude." She apologised, her words as awkward as her body language as she tried to remember what Xander had taught her about human interaction. "Please continue your story." She finished getting a nod of approval from Xander, making her expression turn proud as she allowed her hands to fall away from each other, having been squeezing them together in her awkwardness. "Hopefully it involves treacle and a headmaster." She told Xander in what she thought was a quiet whisper, but was still heard by Giles.

Who looked up from his plate, his expression annoyed as he avoided eye contact with the two, wanting to get the image Anya had put in his minds-eye out. "Go eat." He said firmly and immediately Anya hurried away, glad to be free of the older man's company. Xander shot Giles an apologetic look, before he hurried after his girlfriend who had made a bee line for the food table that she had become interested in.

Far across the room, Buffy finally managed to pull away from her guests to wander over to Angelus who'd managed to keep everyone at bay with a glare… "Hey," She greeted as she came to stand in front of him. "So, this is what you were scheming. I have to say, I'm surprised that you went along with it. You and my friends working together to organise this party, now that I would have paid to see," She murmured with an amused smile as she stepped even closer to him.

A tick went off in Angelus' jaw her insinuation that he had spent any kind of quality time with her lame brained friends. "No such thing happened!" Angelus grumbled, his arms crossing over his chest defensively.

"Oh, really? So we ended up in my dorm room just in time for Willow to come barging in crying demon, just by coincidence?" She said disbelievingly.

Angelus sighed and uncrossed his arms from over his chest as he reached for her, lifting a lock of hair from her shoulder. "You can blame your whiny little red headed friend. She picked up the courage to come whine at me about wanting to surprise you with a surprise party for your birthday and wanting help in keeping you distracted all day so that they could set it up… honestly you'd think they'd know better than to want to throw you a surprise party." He muttered still feeling uncomfortable about the fact that he had been talked into doing something to help Buffy's annoying friends.

"Oh, I don't know…" Buffy murmured. "A surprise party isn't so bad… I mean it's much nicer than facing a fire breathing demon on my birthday." She said brightly, leaning up onto her toes she placed a hand on his chest as she leaned into him. "So, whatever it is you did, thanks." She murmured, before she went to press a kiss to his cheek only for Angelus to realize what she was about to do and shifted his head at the last minute so that her lips met his lips instead of his cheek.

Buffy felt his hands come to rest on her sides and just remained there; not at all surprised that he had wanted lip to lip contact. But after a moment she settled back down on to the flats of her feet. Angelus shrugged as he released her sides. "Well, as long as you're happy, then at least it was worth the effort."

Buffy smiled a little smugly. "Ah huh! So you did help out even just a little."

Angelus shrugged again, a small smile curling up his own lips; for now unaware of the small audience of Xander, Willow and Giles who were watching the interaction out of curiosity from under their lashes, not wanting to be caught by the temperamental vampire. "Maybe just a smidgin,"

"So, do you wanna come and get some food and mingle a little?" Buffy asked a little hopefully.

Angelus looked over Buffy's head at the rest of the party-goers who were spread around the different tables that were set up with food, none of them appealing to him in anyway whatsoever, especially not her needy annoying little friends. "No, I don't think so."

Buffy's face fell a little. "So, you're just gonna lurk here at the edge of the party? Isn't that kinda boring?"

Angelus shrugged. "This isn't really my kind of party, Buff." He replied simply, nothing about it enticing him at all.

Buffy looked over the party and found that she had to agree at least in part, it wasn't really a pumping party. "I suppose, it is kinda flat, but then you can't expect from a party that was practically thrown together at the last minute." She murmured.

Angelus placed his hands on her shoulders as he moved away from the wall. "The only good thing about it is you, Buff." He murmured; whispering the words in her ear.

Buffy tilted her head up so that she could look up at him, a smile curling up her lips. "Then, spend it with me." She exclaimed, a cheek light in her hazel eyes. "That'll make it more enjoyable for you."

Buffy grasped one of his hands in hers lightly, not grasping anywhere near tight enough to for him to come with her if he didn't want to as she began leading him towards the centre of the rec room. Angelus chuckled, realizing that he had walked right into that one as he allowed Buffy to lead him towards the food table.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

A fair bit later Giles sat in a chair by himself watching the party continue on around him, feeling really rather like an outcast as he watched Buffy, Willow, Xander and Anya socialise with other young men and women he didn't know. Even Angelus was managing to integrate himself in goings on as he stood by Buffy's side talking with her friends. He'd never felt as old as he did in this moment, he felt like the parent that was only there to chaperon them as they had fun whilst doing their best to pretend he wasn't there. He'd begun to think that perhaps it would be best if he just slipped away, it wasn't like anyone would even notice his absence… and that way he'd be able to get some important things done like… the cleaning… but just as the thought crossed his mind, he noticed Willow breaking away from the crowd and coming towards him with a fresh paper plate balanced on her hand along with another slice of cake.

Willow smiled at Giles as she made it over to him, feeling bad that she had left him alone for so long as she had mingled with all her new friends. "Hi." She greeted as she handed him the plate; which Giles accepted a little reluctantly, not sure he could handle any more of the rich birthday cake. "Are you having a good time?" She asked brightly.

Giles stood up, glad for the company and the lessening of the awkward outcast feeling he'd been having. "Yes, yes," He lied. "There's uh, a lot of new faces here, aren't there?" He questioned, not having realized that the young adults he knew so well had expanded their world so much without him even realizing it.

Willow looked around and nodded her agreement. "Yeah. Mostly kids from the dorm. A couple from our classes. It's a good showing considering how last minute it was." She murmured proudly as she turned her gaze back up to Giles.

"Hi, Giles." Buffy greeted, having spotted Willow talking with Giles and having realized with some guilt that she had forgotten to spend any time with her father figure since arriving at her surprise party and had so had immediately came over to rectify the oversight.

"Buffy," Giles greeted with a happy smile, his gaze flicking past her for a moment to land on Angelus who had also joined her on the trip over; finding himself slightly surprised that he got a very slight nod from the soulless vampire; so surprised that he returned it before he could think about it. He cleared his throat a little uncomfortably as he returned his gaze to Buffy. "Happy birthday," He wished her.

Buffy smiled and moved in for a hug, seeing it coming, Giles balanced his drink and plate, lifting his arms so that she could and so that he could return it with one of his arms. "Thank you." Buffy murmured against his chest, before she stepped back from him.

"19, it's hard to believe, isn't it?" Giles murmured once again feeling old, it only seemed like the other day that he had only just been meeting and getting to know a young high school girl… and now she was a young woman going to college.

"So, where you in on the whole surprise party too?" Buffy asked.

"Uh, well yes in a small capacity. It was actually Willow and Xander who did all the planning… she… Willow that is, was quiet determined to have a surprise party. I personally don't think I would have thrown you a surprise party. You know, you have enough things jumping out at you in the dark."

"Well, as far as things jumping out at me in the dark, this is by far the nicest thing that's jumped out at me in a while." Buffy murmured.

"Oh, yes… I'm sure." Giles agreed with his somewhat awkward smile.

"Buffy!" Willow called, drawing her gaze. Seeing Willow; who had wandered off a short time after Buffy and Angelus had made their way over, beckoning her over, Buffy turned her attention briefly back to Giles. "Uh, looks like I'm needed. I hope that you're enjoying the party, Giles. I really appreciate it." She beamed before hurrying over to her best friend; leaving Giles alone with Angelus who had hung back.

Angelus leaned against the wall, his eyes focused on Buffy as Giles stood a little awkwardly. Highly aware that he was alone with the vampire that had once taken great delight in torturing him for information. "So, you were against a surprise party too, huh." Angelus murmured quietly, not bothering to grace Giles with his gaze, keeping it focused on Buffy.

Giles fidgeted with his glasses, pushing his spectacles further up the bridge of his nose. "Uh, yes, I guess you could say that." He replied, feeling awkward as he stood, but as of yet unwilling to sit.

"And how do you feel about this meeting she's having with this Military commander?" Angelus asked a frown darkening his brow as he practically jumped straight to the point of his hanging around when the object of his affection was across the room.

Giles glanced over at Angelus. "I have mixed feelings about that actually." He admitted. "We need to know more about them, but at the same time… we don't know enough about them for me to be completely comfortable with the fact that she'll be completely alone with them, but it's only a one on one meeting…" Giles turned a firmer gaze on Angelus. "Why do you know something?" He asked turning fully to face Angelus.

Angelus gave a shrug that looked nonchalant, but was anything but. "I don't know, but I have a bad feeling… a very bad feeling. They may be anti-demon, but that doesn't make them pro-human." Angelus frown deepened his gaze still on Buffy, his dead heart seizing slightly in his chest at the thought of something happening to her. "I do know is that they preform experiments… and experiments can be awfully close to other things…" He murmured darkly.

Giles gaze narrowed on Angelus. "What type of other things?" He asked. Angelus turned his gaze from Buffy to meet Giles blue gaze.

And it was that gaze that told Giles all he needed to know, and it was a knowledge that had Giles worry seizing in his chest. "Well, we must remember that these are actual humans, not sadistic vampires… that take pleasure in that kind of thing." He murmured with a small uncomfortable cough.

Angelus' gaze darkened on Giles for a moment, before he turned it back on Buffy, who was still talking with Willow and Xander… poising for a picture for a brief moment. "You seem to forget that not all humans are well adjusted. Something I find surprising… Ripper." Angelus murmured softly, his words still managing to send a shiver down Giles spine, as his old nickname filled his ears… reminding him of all the terrible things he had done in his youth. The memories making him swallow convulsively as he watched Angelus walk away from him; heading back over to Buffy, who as if sensing that Angelus was coming turned to face him and offered him a beaming smile. Giles sighed as he sat down on the chair he had abandoned when Willow had joined him briefly. He hoped that Angelus' feeling was wrong, and that this military group would turn out to be friend rather than foe as Angelus seemed to believe…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"I'm not really sure that this is a good idea?" Buffy mumbled against Angelus' lips as he greedily attacked her lips with affectionate kisses that had heat pooling in her core; a heat that grew with each kiss he placed against them.

"What's not good about it?" Angelus murmured huskily against her lips, the moonlight that was pooling into the dorm room that his girl shared with Willow, to his eyes, giving Buffy an ethereal glow as the silverly light bouncing off her golden blond hair; highlighting it.

Buffy moaned against his lips, struggling to keep her thoughts flowing logically against the affectionate assault of Angelus' lips against hers; the feeling befuddling her senses, making her want to just forget about the niggling reservations she had and just melt into him. "Mm, what about the party? We just left without saying goodbye… or anything… they could come looking for us?" She managed to get out past her lips in between the almost fevered kisses that Angelus was giving her.

Angelus chuckled as he manoeuvred them over to Buffy's desk, swiping his arm across the surface knocking books and pens alike to the ground with a thud, before swing Buffy around, his hands settling on her hips for a moment to lift her effortlessly up onto it. Buffy bit her lip with her front teeth as she stared up at Angelus from under her lashes. She felt his hands come to rest on her thighs, before he pressed them further apart with a gentle pressure so that he could step between them. "So?" Angelus murmured as he laid siege to her lips again.

"Mm, what… what if Will-Will, walks in on us?" Buffy gasped out, her hands coming up to grasp at Angelus chest through the fine silk of his shirt.

"Doubtful." Angelus assured her as he grasped the hem of her shirt and began pulling it up her body, glad when Buffy raised her arms to allow him to pull it up over her head. "I'm sure that they'll all be at the party for a while yet." Buffy tried to murmur something; something that was unintelligible to even his keen ears when her words turned into a low moan as his fingers teased the nipple of her left breast, sending a hot bolt of pleasure shooting from her breast down into her already hot core. Angelus sighed as he pulled back a little, his fingers still curled around her pebbled nipple through the soft material of her bra. "Do you want me to stop?" He asked reluctantly.

"No!" Buffy replied immediately, the slightest hint of panic in her voice at the idea of being left with the pleasant aching that he had so effortlessly aroused in her body without chance of the relief of an orgasm.

"Good," Angelus murmured in relief. "'Cause, I really didn't want to." He informed her as he swooped down on her again. His lips taking hers again in a heated kiss, his hands falling to the clasps of Buffy's jeans, easily manoeuvring them open with flicks of his fingers, before he began tugging them down over her hips, until they dangled over her ankles, the runners she was wearing preventing the material from falling to the dorm room floor.

Buffy let out a moan of regret and loss as Angelus pulled away from her mouth, her eyes opening for a moment to see the top of his head for a moment before her eyes fluttered closed once again as she leaned back on her hands; arching her chest up so that he could have better access to the suddenly needy flesh there.

Angelus nipped and licked at the exposed flesh cupping the swelling mounds in his hands for a moment as he lavished attention on her heaving breasts as Buffy began to fight for air as the pleasurable sensations rose up inside of her with his every ministration. To her disappointment he didn't pay attention to the aching buds of her breasts for long, his skilful mouth moving down her belly and Buffy couldn't help the giggle that erupted from all of a sudden as his lips found a ticklish spot. She tried to jerk back for a moment as she felt him smile against her skin, before he teased the spot mercilessly, his hands keeping her in place with an effort as she writhed to get a way; tears of laughter eventually coming to pool under the closed lids of her eyes before he moved on. Continuing his downward journey, quickly reaching his destination; which had Buffy jerking for a whole other reason as she felt his mouth settle on her pussy through the material of her panties.

"Angelus!" Buffy cried out, her hips jerking up off the desk for a moment, at the feel of his cool tongue pressing against the heated flesh of her pussy through the cotton of her panties. The cloth irritatingly dulling the sensation of his tongue against her needy flesh; one of her hands coming up to place itself on top of his head, feeling the gelled hair underneath her fingers as she held him against her trying to press him closer; eager to feel the sensations his tongue could invoke more fully.

Angelus chuckled against her flesh, feeling her impatience in the quiver in her hand and arch of her hips as she pressed herself against him wantonly. "A little impatient tonight, Buff?" He teased.

The flush to Buffy's cheeks got brighter in slight embarrassment at his teasing comment. "Stop teasing, Angelus." She grumbled a little sharper than she had meant to, in her embarrassment.

Angelus leaned back up, his brown eyes searching; his hand coming up to touch her cheek. "Hey, that wasn't supposed to be a bad thing."

Buffy bit her lower lip for a moment a she stared up at him, embarrassed for a moment that she had taken his words the wrong way. "Just shut up and kiss me!"

"My pleasure," Angelus almost purred huskily, before he dipped back down and pressed his lips back to the hot needy flesh of her pussy.

Buffy gasped, her hands clenching around the desk tightly, almost breaking the edge of her wooden desk. "I-I meant my lips!" She exclaimed.

Angelus chuckled against her femininity, causing Buffy to gasp again at the pleasurable shocks it sent up into her core, causing her juices to gush from her in a heated rush, wetting thoroughly wetting her panties. "I am." He informed.

"Ah-ha…" Buffy cried out as Angelus shifted her panties out of the way and she felt his cool tongue directly against her heated sensitive needy flesh. "Not the lips I meant!" She gasped out breathily, her mouth.

Angelus smirked against the vulnerable flesh of her pussy. "But, these lips have been woefully neglected." He murmured just loud enough for her to hear, he didn't wait for her to reply as he flicked his tongue and over her quivering clit making the next sound out of her mouth to be a moan. As he lapped at her hot vulnerable flesh using all the skills he'd learned in all his years of debauchery to keep her brain from thinking of anything, but the pleasure that he could give her causing nothing, but keening moans to pass through her parted lips as she arched into his touch; her eyes screwed shut as she clutched helplessly at the desk as she rolled her hips up against his mouth wanting to get as close to him as she possibly could… to the sensations his lips were building up inside of her.

Buffy let out an endless stream of keening cries as she felt herself getting closer and closer to her crisis. Buffy's legs came up to rest over his shoulders, pressing her thighs against Angelus' back. trying to press him closer to her, not wanting him to be able to pull him away, but her efforts were wasted as just as she was felt like she was going to fall over the edge into bliss, Angelus pulled away from her needy flesh; leaving her wanting. "No! No, Angelus!" Buffy whined as he came back up, sliding her legs from his shoulders as he did so. "You're such a tease!" She pouted up at him as he caught her hands as she moved to finish herself off.

"Just be a little more patient." He murmured.

Buffy frowned up at him, in no mood to be told to be patient, when her entire body was screaming for a release… a release that she had been so cruelly denied! Shoving him in the chest, forcing him to take a step back from her allowing her the room to slide down onto her feet in front of him. Shoving him again, this time much harder she propelled him back onto her bed, before she quickly followed him. Straddling him with her thighs whilst using her hands to pin him to the mattress. "I'm not really feeling all that patient right now." She grumbled as Angelus looked up at her a little surprised at the sudden turn about.

"I can see that." Angelus managed to get out just before Buffy kissed him passionately; her hands moving from pinning his wrists to work on unbuttoning his shirt.

Angelus didn't remain still for long as immediately his hands went to work to remove her bra. Buffy paused in removing Angelus' shirt so that she could toss her bra away, before tugging his shirt out from his leather pants Angelus sat up off the mattress, his mouth taking hers in a heated kiss as he pulled his shirt down and off his arms before tossing it aside. His hands sliding up her sides, before he turned them over settling himself on top of Buffy as he once again took control as he settled himself down on top of her. Buffy wasn't fussed at all at the change of control as his mouth and hands moved over her body, working her up once again as her hands worked on his leather pants; managing to get the snaps undone with relative ease. With an ease born of experience Angelus helped her with one hand to remove his leather pants as his free one pulled her panties down her thighs.

Disregarding the last of their clothes, their thoughts solely on each other as they lost themselves in the moment. Buffy moaned loudly as she felt Angelus finally fill her; the turgid length of him stretching her, giving her a satisfyingly full feeling. Buffy wrapped her legs around his hips as she arched her back off the bed, pressing herself against him as they began moving together with an urgent need. Buffy gazed up at the ceiling, not really seeing it as she luxuriated in the sensations that were surging through her blood; setting all her senses on fire!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow stood on her toes as she surveyed the rec room for Buffy's familiar blond head wondering if her friend was hiding in amongst the other party-goers. "Where'd Buffy go?" She asked Xander a small frown darkening her brow.

Xander didn't even bother glancing about the room, having caught sight of Buffy as she left with Angelus. "She wanted some alone time." He muttered under his breath.

"Oh, did she speak to you before she left? Did she need someone to talk to?" Willow asked curiously, wondering when Buffy had come upon Xander alone without her noticing.

Xander gave Willow a look; a look that had her looking confused causing Xander to sigh in frustration. "Think about it Will, Tall, dark and soulless is notably absent as well." Willow's mouth opened in an 'o' as she suddenly realized what Xander was getting out; her eyes scanning the rec room for the dark vampire, only to realize that he had also disappeared.

Anya touched Xander's arm drawing her boyfriend's attention to her. "If the birthday girls left that means we can to right?"

"Uh An, we're still mingling here… with friends. This is fun remember." Xander said a little awkwardly, giving his best friend an apologetic look, before turning his attention back to Anya as she began to speak again.

"But I'm bored!" Anya pouted. "And these aren't our friends. I don't know half of them."

"Uh…" Xander muttered, wondering what he could say to placate her; not quite ready to leave himself just yet. He found that he enjoyed being able to hang out on campus whilst not putting in the work of a college student. "How about we get something else to eat?" He suggested.

"Fine," Anya pouted as she allowed Xander to lead her away towards one of the food tables.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

With a sudden twist of her hips, Buffy rolled them over, her hands coming to rest on his chest as she loomed over him as she began bobbing up and down on him as she set the pace that she wanted. Angelus groaned deep in his throat as he lifted his hips up off the mattress to meet Buffy's every desperate thrust, the lusty cries coming from her lips spurring him on almost as much as the hot tight wetness of her femininity clutching around his driving cock. Buffy's body tensed and she moved quicker as she felt herself getting closer and closer, a drop of sweat running coolly down her spine making her shiver just before her orgasm crashed over her senses making her lose complete control of her body and she slumped forward against Angelus' chest with a breathless cry of release as her core spasmed heavily around his cock.

Angelus wrapped his arms around Buffy's small body as he continued to thrust up into her quivering body; the power behind them enough to break bones in a normal human. Buffy gasped against his neck as she felt herself building up a second time as her sheath began spasming softly again at the feel of his almost desperate thrusts. A sense of feminine power filling her at the idea that she could make him feel desperate for anything. Buffy sank her teeth into Angelus' neck just as she felt herself about to fall over the edge, a muffled moan escaping her as she did; Angelus joining her as her bite sent him flying over the edge.

Together they lay like that, breathing hard as they drifted in their shared afterglow. After a long moment, Buffy shifted slightly, her eyes focused on his neck, where she had bitten him in a moment of passion. "Oops, I didn't think I bit you so hard." She murmured apologetically as she touched the bite mark.

Angelus gave a small chuckle. "I'm sure I'll live."

"Yeah, but I didn't mean to leave a mark." She muttered as she slowly rolled off him and onto her side beside him, her head coming to rest high up on his upper arm; close to his shoulder. "Hmmm, perhaps you should leave some pyjama pants here." She murmured, before she yawned, feeling contentedly tired as she rested against him, one of her arms coming up to rest on his chest as she snuggled in against him.

"I don't do pyjamas, Buff." Angelus said with another chuckle.

"Yeah, but what if Willow walks in here, you're gonna be butt naked." Buffy muttered, not liking the idea of her best friend walking in to their dorm to see Angelus butt naked.

"Are you saying that you want me to stay tonight?" Angelus asked as he shifted his arm down to wrap around her back; holding her against his side.

Buffy shrugged as she rested against him. "Well, it would be a nice way to wrap up the best Buffy birthday in a long while."

Angelus shifted onto his side, his arm still pillowing Buffy's head. "The best one, huh?" He murmured with a cocky smile curling up his lips.

"Of course, no demon gate-crashers at my surprise party, I haven't had to slay anything all day and… my boyfriend has been very good to me all day." Buffy said with a warm smile as her body still felt warm and somewhat sluggish in the aftermath of her orgasm. Her hand that was resting on his chest sliding down to hers as she touched the Celtic pendant he had gifted her with.

"Then I'll stay." He murmured, before he sat up disturbing Buffy's comfortable position. Together they pulled the covers out from underneath them, before they settled underneath them in the small bed.

Silence prevailed in the room for the moment, before Buffy sat up silently looking down at Angelus curiously. "Hey, when's your birthday… or do vampire's not have any?"

"Of course we do." Angelus replied as he stared up at Buffy as she loomed over him, her expression expectant as she waited for an answer.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

A few hours later Willow opened the door to her dorm expecting to find it empty, but as she stood in the door way her hand reaching for the light, she paused as her eyes took in the clothes strewn about the room from the light coming in from the hallway. Her gaze immediately went to Buffy's bed to see the large lump of two people lying in the one small bed the campus provided for them. Her eyes taking in the expanse of Angelus naked pale back, the griffin tattoo on his back shadowy in the light that was pooling in from the hallway and the moon. "Oh," She muttered her gaze going about the room again, her eyes widening further as her gaze landed on a pair of black masculine leather pants. "Oh!" She gasped again. _'He's naked! Naked under the sheets with Buffy… meaning Buffy's naked to! Naked people!'_

Willow backed out of the room as she held her breath, not wanting to wake either of them. Closing the door carefully she leaned against it for a moment as her brain process what she had just seen… before she gave her head a shake and began moving down the hall, wondering if Tara would still be awake and would mind keeping her company. The idea of having to return to her parents place rather unappealing to her.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his entire body radiating with irritation as he watched the peroxide blond nuisance he'd been forced to babysit for the past few days walk back and forth around his basement. Whilst Anya lounged comfortably in the recliner, half-heartedly browsing through a comic book, not in the least concerned with how long Spike was taking in gathering his belongings. "You own nothing. This shouldn't be taking so long." Xander grumbled as he followed Spike's progress across his basement apartment.

"Hang on. Let a fella get organized." Spike muttered nonchalantly, the boys irritation not fazing him in the slightest. His gaze fell on a radio and picks it up to put in the box that was supposedly filled with his belongings.

"That's my radio!" Xander exclaimed as he saw Spike put it in his box.

Spike gave Xander a look. "And you're what? Shocked and disappointed? I'm evil!" He explained as he tucked the radio in the box.

Anya completely bored with the comic closed it and tossed it back onto the table she had found it. "So, what kind of place are you looking for?" She asked, drawing Spike's attention.

"I don't know." He shrugged as he continued to putter around, looking for anything else he might like to take with him to his new home. "Maybe a crypt. Some place, you know, dark and dank. But not as dark and dank as this."

"Heh," Anya muttered as she looked around the basement that Xander called home. "It's pretty depressing, isn't it?"

Spike smirked at her. "I've known corpses with a fresher smell. In fact, I've been one." He taunted the irritated boy as he flicked his almost burnt out cigarette away.

"That's it!" Xander growled, not appreciating the deprecating comments about the place that he was calling home. "Let's go." He demanded as he stalked towards the peroxide blond, grasping him by his leather jacket and began marching him towards the stairs, forcing Spike to have to quickly grasp the box that he had filled with things that were his and things that weren't.

"Wait." Anya called causing Xander to hold up as the two of them looked at her curiously as she jumped up from the recliner and moved past them towards the fold out couch that Xander was using as a bed. Quickly unplugging the tall lamp and carried it over to Spike in an attempt to give him a parting gift. "I want to give you something for your new place." She explained.

"That's my lamp." Xander grumbled, snatching it back from his girlfriend before Spike could grasp his greedy hands on it. Releasing Spike so that he could return it to its original position.

"A gift is traditional. I've read about it." Anya explained with a confused frown wondering why Xander was so annoyed.

"That's among friends. With bitter enemies we don't give them my lamp." Xander muttered, sarcasm lacing his voice.

Spike shrugged nonchalantly. "It's not gonna have electricity anyway. It's a crypt, remember?"

"What about running water?" Anya asked curiously. "A fridge to keep your blood fresh?"

Spike was silent for a moment, not having thought of that. "No." He murmured.

"Well, that's gotta suck." Anya replied with a shrug. "You should just get a hotel room or something."

Spike was once again silent for a moment as he considered Anya's words, before turning his full attention to Xander. "Demon girl's got a point. I need fresh blood. If I had a few bob for a room with a honor bar…"

"Out!" Xander cut him off, his arm pointed towards the stairs. "Before I get The Slayer over here to kick your ass out!"

Spike sighed, the crypt that he had wanted before seeming dull in comparison to an apartment with electricity and an bar. "Don't know why she didn't come. Say good-bye, shed a few tears."

"Well, she has an appointment with somebody who's actually still scary!" Xander growled, wanting this whole ordeal over with so that he could relax with Anya.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy sat awkwardly in Professor Walsh's office with Riley standing behind her; his arms folded over his chest as he observed everything that had been said between the two so far. "So, The Slayer." Walsh commented after a moment of silence, not quite sure that she believed her luck.

"Yeah, that's me." Buffy confirmed uncomfortably. Her entire being feeling out of place in this office discussing her mission… and the job that the military group, she know knew was called The Initiative, did. The small hairs on the back of her neck standing on end; something about this whole situation seeming somewhat off to her… but that didn't make sense, everything about this meeting had been friendly so far; there was absolutely no reason for the hairs on the back of her neck to be standing on end… it was probably just her own reservations about talking about her secret with someone until not that long ago was just an ordinary Professor at the University. And was now some kind of Commander of The Initiative.

"We thought you were a myth." Walsh said as she sat forward in her chair, her gaze intense as she stared at her student.

"Well… you were myth-taken." Buffy said with a brave smile, trying to lighten the mood in the office, only for the air to seem to thicken about her and her smile quickly slid off her face.

"And to think all that time you were sitting in my class. Well, most of those times." Walsh corrected herself.

"Well, I did try to make it to all my classes, but… demons aren't all that considerate of schedules and all."

"Oh, of that I'm sure." Walsh interlaced her fingers as she continued to stare at Buffy intensely. "I'm eager to learn more about what is it you do as The Slayer. Your technic… I understand that you poke them with a sharp stick."

Buffy nodded. "Well, it's more effective than it sounds."

"This is really all very fascinating. I never thought that The Slayer was real, let alone get to meet one. One that is in my very class. I'm sure that we'll be able to learn a lot from each other, Buffy. I'm working on getting you clearance to come into The Initiative. I think you'll find the results of our operation quite impressive." Walsh glanced over at Riley, her gaze softening slightly as she looked over at him. "Agent Finn here, alone, has killed or captured… how many is it?" She asked him.

"Seventeen." Riley said with pride in his voice. "Eleven vampires, six demons."

"Oh…" Buffy murmured softly as she tried to sound at least a little impressed… "I mean that's seventeen…" She tried again, her discomfiture growing as she struggled to think of something to say.

"What about you?" Walsh asked.

Buffy blinked the question seeming sudden to Buffy's ears. "Me?" She asked awkwardly hoping that her Professor wasn't asking what she thought she was.

"How many hostiles would you say you've slain?" Walsh clarified, and Buffy swallowed thickly, not wanting to step on anyone's toes or make Riley feel obsolete with the answer… besides she wasn't even sure she could say with absolute certainty that she knew exactly how many demons and vampire's she had slain over the years… there was just too many!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles stood dusting one of his many bookcases, having nothing else better to do to ease the tedious boredom that had seemed to weigh him down the moment he had opened his eyes that morning. His feather duster paused in its motion as he froze all of a sudden as his gaze landed on a book title; the name jogging a memory. Stuffing the handle of the feather duster between his teeth, he picked up the old tome that had caught her attention. Opening the old book, he flicked through the old pages until he got to the one that he wanted. He frowned as he read as swiftly as he could; his heart beating uncomfortably in his chest as he read the Latin words. Lifting a hand away from the book as he sat down as he did a quick calculation with his fingers, his face paling as he did so; removing the feather duster from his mouth. "Third new moon after the… nine hundredth feast of Delthrox." He muttered before looking up from the book. "Oh," He stood up from the uncomfortable seat he had taken. "Crap." He cursed under his breath.

After a few short moments Giles stood in front of his work desk, gathering up the supplies he had hurriedly compiled, an old phone pressed between his ear and shoulder; needing both his hands free as he hurriedly packed a bag, doing his best to think about what he was packing whilst talking on the phone to Willow. "No, we can't wait for her, Willow. The demon Prince Barvain is going to rise tonight." He listened for a moment as he stuffed another of his gathered supplies into the bag he had unearthed in his condo. "Well… where is she, exactly?" He asked with a small amount of impatience.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Riley and Professor Walsh watched the door to Walsh's office close behind Buffy as she exited the office. Silence remained between them as one stood shocked and the other sat in excited silence, not able to believe their luck. After a moment Riley turned his gaze from the door to look at his superior. "Are you sure?" He asked drawing Walsh's gaze. "I mean there has to be a better way…"

"There is no other way, Agent Finn. We need all the information that we can get off her. I never thought that we would have an opportunity like this. You heard what she just said, we would be foolish to let an opportunity like this slide, over a bleeding heart. She is just one girl… just think how much more we could do if we found out more about her."

Walsh stood from her office chair and gave Riley a commanding look. "You know what needs to be done, Agent Finn." Riley hesitated for the briefest of moments, before he nodded his acceptance of the orders he had been given after explaining to Walsh what he had found; he had hoped that the order would be rescinded after this meeting had taken place. The two walked towards the office door, Walsh was about to open the door for Riley when she placed a hand on his arm. "Riley, I know that she is a sweet girl, but we can let something like that get in the way of our operation. You do understand, don't you, Riley?"

Riley nodded again, as he swallowed thickly. "I do. I just wish that there was another way to get the information we need."

"So, do I," Walsh informed him, before opening the door. "Now, I have a lot of work to do." Riley nodded and stepped out of the office. Walsh watched him go for a short moment, before closing the door behind him and moving back towards her desk; her mind still whirling with excitement over her astonishing find.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy turned a corner into another hall a small frown on her face; a frown that disappeared as she saw the familiar dark figure coming down the hall towards her. "Hey, I didn't realize that you were going to be here." She greeted as they came to a stop in the hall.

"Like I could stay away, when you were meeting with a Commander of that military group that's infiltrating Sunnydale." Angelus said a little grumpily, still not happy that she had gone ahead a meet with them despite all his warnings and misgivings. Buffy's expression turned a little guilty, not liking that she had made Angelus worry about her. "So, how did the meeting go?" He asked as they began moving back down the hall; going back the way he had come.

Buffy shrugged. "To be honest it was kinda awkward." She admitted. "For a few moments there I saw Professor Walsh wanted to devour me whole she was staring at me that intently." She attempted a soft chuckle in an attempt to brush it off.

Angelus frowned not liking the sound of that. "Oh, really." He muttered under his breath.

"But, I'm sure it's nothing serious. Probably just a reaction from all my nerves." Buffy excused with what she hoped was a dismissive wave of her hand. "Oh, but I did learn that they this particular branch of the military is called The Initiative." She added brightly.

Angelus tensed slightly as they continued to walk side by side. "Is that all?"

Buffy shrugged. "Well, there were other things, but it was just confirmation of what we already knew. I'm sure we'll learn more once I get inside."

Angelus froze in his tracks his hand coming up to grip her arm; perhaps a bit harder than necessary, stopping Buffy in her tracks to. "What do you mean, 'once you get inside'?" Angelus asked demandingly.

"Professor Walsh. She's getting me clearance to go into The Initiative." Buffy explained nonchalantly. "Uh, Angelus… you're hurting my arm." She told him as his grip hardened further around her slim arm. Immediately Angelus released her arm not having meant to hurt her. "Relax, I'm not planning to join. Just poke around a little. Learn more about them."

Angelus followed Buffy as she began moving down the hall once again; easily catching her up with his longer stride. "I know that you're not planning to join, but Buff I don't trust them."

Buffy glanced up at him, her smaller hand touching his, before sliding into it. Her fingers curling about his. "So, I take it that this is the military group that you've come across before."

Angelus nodded, before glancing down at her; meeting her gaze. "It is, but even if it wasn't. I'd still have a bad feeling… I'd much prefer to be able to go with you."

Buffy gave him a small smile. "I'd like that. I'd like that a lot, but I don't think it would be a good idea for them to spend too much time around you. I mean look what they did to Spike. I don't think they'd have any compunction about doing the same thing to you if they found out what you are… even if you are close to me." Angelus nodded his agreement of her assessment, The Initiative's agenda sure had seemed to change since the time they'd sort of ambushed Angel and coerced him into helping them…

"But don't worry too much. I swear I'll be careful. And that I won't be there any longer than necessary. It's not like I'm all that fond of the way they go about their operation either." Buffy smiled up at Angelus brightly eager to change the topic. "Well, seeing as you're here, how about we go get a coffee… and maybe a slice of strawberry cake from that little cute little cake shop across the road from Starbucks." She suggested brightly. Angelus sighed not appeased at all by her change of subject but allowed her to lead him along as they walked together. He just couldn't shake the feeling that no matter how careful she was, that once they had her… The Initiative wouldn't let her go all that easily… _'Experiments are awfully close to torture.'_ Ran through his brain once again and his hand tightened about Buffy's. Images of her bleeding and broken form causing bile to rise up in his throat and his dead heart restrict when once the idea had brought him great joy.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles breathed a sigh of relief as he finally made it up to the door of Professor Walsh's office. He still couldn't believe that in the 'excitement' of finding out that another apocalyptic event was on the horizon that he'd forgotten that Buffy had said that she would be here… but then… he hadn't thought that it would take it all that long. _'Experiments are awfully close to torture.'_ He could hear Angelus' voice whisper in his mind and he shuddered at the idea. He forced himself to pause to regain his composer, he sure that everything would be alright. Of course Angelus would jump straight to that conclusion, it was in his own nature to want to torture and bring an ugly death to those around him. Something that courting Buffy seemed to have put a stopper on for the time being. So it made sense that he would expect the same from others…

Raising his arm he knocked smartly on the door and after a short moment he heard a female voice reply to it. "Yeah?"

Immediately Giles opened the door and stepped inside the office, his eyes immediately going to the woman who was standing behind her desk her eyes some papers. "Professor Walsh, I presume." Giles greeted causing Walsh to look up a little surprised at the unfamiliar voice. Having expected one of her students or a T.A. "You're hard to find, these-these halls are quite the labyrinth. I felt like Theseus and the Minotaur in the… labyrinth." Giles murmured, adjusting his glasses. His comment which he had meant to be witty ending flatly under her unimpressed cool gaze.

"Can I help you with something Mr…" Walsh said after a beat, trailing off as she realized that she had no idea who the gentleman was.

"Giles." He responded immediately. "Rupert." He added with a small wince realizing that he had used his last name. A habit he had picked up from the young adults he worked so closely with. Walking over to Walsh, he offered his hand to the her; Walsh accepting it out of habit. "I'm looking for Buffy Summers. I'm uh, a friend of hers. And I was her high school librarian." He added at the look she gave him.

Walsh returned her attention to the papers she had been looking at before his interruption. "I'm sorry, Buffy's not here. But if I see her…" She trailed off not seeing the need to finish the obvious end to the sentence.

Giles gaze had turned to the wall, where Walsh's credentials hung for all to see. "Buffy's been very influenced by your course. She quotes you quite often." He smiled affectionately as he returned his gaze to Walsh who was once again looking at him. "Sometimes she sounds like and introductory text book herself." He commented, meaning it to be a compliment.

Walsh walked past him, opening the filing cabinet she filed the documents she had been looking at swiftly. Effortlessly popping them back into place without having to search for the file. "I don't lecture from the text book." Walsh informed him, her voice slightly cool. "But I'm glad she's inspired by the material. She's bright. All she's really been lacking is encouragement in the academic sect." She continued on.

Giles swallowed, feeling her words hit him sharply, almost like a slap to the face. "Oh, uh," He stuttered as he tried to gather his thoughts through his shock. "I think it's best if-if… if we let a young person find their own strengths. If you lead a child by the hand then they'll never find their own footing."

"And if it's true about hiking, ergo, it must be true about life." Walsh came back at him without even pausing a beat.

In a habitual movement Giles removed his glasses, as his other hand slipped into his pocket to pull out a handkerchief to clean the lenses. "That's not uh…" He stuttered as he tried to control his anger and gather his thoughts. "I'm just saying, Buffy is, uh… well she's not the typical student." His words made Walsh look at him a little differently for a moment; even considering, before she shook the idea away. There was no way that this gentleman could know about Buffy's secret; she hadn't mentioned him after all. "Once you get to know her, she's a very unique girl. I hope you're not going to push her."

"I think I do know her." Walsh said confidently. "And I have found her to be a unique woman." She said pointedly as she came around her desk to sit in the chair, Buffy had been sitting in earlier that afternoon.

"Woman. Of course." Giles murmured as he replaced his glasses. "How wrong of me to choose my own words."

"She's very self-reliant, very independent…" Walsh continued.

Giles stepped towards her, feeling like the conversation was finally going to turn in his favour. "Exactly." He exclaimed happily.

"Which is not always a good thing." Causing Giles expression to freeze, not having expected to hear that from the woman; a woman he was swiftly beginning to dislike. "I think it can be unhealthy to take on adult roles too early. What I suspect I'm seeing is a reaction to the absence of a male role model." Walsh informed him with confidence. Unwittingly showing just how little she knew about Buffy and what being The Slayer entailed.

Giles narrowed his eyes on the woman who was staring up at him with a cool confident gaze. "Absence?" He questioned, continuing to try and keep his rising temper under control.

"Buffy clearly lacks a strong father figure." Walsh replied calmly, her gaze locking with the man who was staring at her speechless, before she got up from the seat she had taken. "I'm sorry, I have things to do. I'll tell, Buffy her 'friend' was looking for her."

Walsh turned her attention away from the gentleman fully expecting him to leave as she moved back around her desk. Giles stared at Walsh for a moment wanting nothing more than to vent at least some of the anger he was feeling out on the infuriating woman, before he turned to leave. Now wasn't the time to get into a battle of wits with the woman, not when he had other much more important things to do!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy glared up at Angelus as he stood before her, her arms chained behind her on the plush chair he had locked her into. "Aren't you taking this a little too far?" Buffy asked, her annoyance clear in her tone.

Angelus sighed as he stared down at her, meeting her angry gaze unflinchingly. Despite how much he hated that she was looking at him like that. "I don't want you getting any closer to The Initiative and if this is the only way to keep you away from them for the moment… then no I don't believe I am taking it too far." He said firmly.

Buffy's glare was coupled with a deep frown as she continued to look up at him angrily. "So, you think that I can't handle myself. Way to give me a complex, Angelus." She grumbled moodily as she jerked at the manacles that were chaffing at her wrists slightly; something that was made worse by her squirming.

Angelus sighed again, this time scrubbing his hand through his spiked up hair. "Buffy, you aren't going to break those. I had them made… a long while ago… you won't be able to get through them."

"I wouldn't have to if you hadn't chained me up to begin with." She sighed irritated as she took a break. "I thought that we were past the whole chair and chains bit. I mean I thought we were having a good time. What with the coffee and the cake…"

"We were." Angelus assured her, before kneeling down in front of her, his hands coming to rest on her knees. Feeling the irritation radiating from the muscles as they trembled beneath the palms of his hands, and he was suddenly glad that he had thought to chain her feet together to, otherwise he was sure he would be on the floor right now clutching his family jewels and gasping for his unneeded breaths. "It's not that I don't think you can't handle yourself, because I know you can." He told her firmly, causing Buffy to raise a slightly sceptical eyebrow at him as she jerked at her chains again. "But you'd be one against an army, Buff. And I don't trust them to not turn against you the moment they realize that they can't control you… that you won't conform."

Buffy's expression softened as she felt her annoyance begin to disappear in light of the obvious worry that he was struggling with. Something she was sure he wasn't used to feeling. "You really, really have a problem with these guys don't you. It's not just a nagging feeling… it's deep rooted, huh." She murmured softly, wishing that she could touch him and convey just how much it meant to her that he cared so much… despite his method of dealing with it.

Angelus looked up at her, his dark eyes serious in his worry. "You have no idea." He muttered. "I just think… I know that if they get you alone that something horrible is going to happen to you… and no matter how many times I tell myself that you can handle yourself and can fight or quip your way out of any situation… I can't shake it."

"Wow," Buffy murmured under her breath. She hadn't thought that the feeling had run so deep inside of him. Her shoulders sank slightly as the last of her irritation left her, leaving her feeling slightly empty for a moment, before it was replaced with a much softer emotion.

"So, please, just bear with me." Angelus said, before he stood back up, placing a kiss to Buffy's forehead, before he turned and began walking out of the entrance hall they were in.

Buffy stared after him, straightening up as she realized he was about to leave her alone. "Hang on, Angelus! Where are you going… don't…" Buffy sighed as she saw him exit the room and soon felt his presence fade completely as he left the mansion completely. "I was going to say 'alright, I won't do it. We'll think of some other way to get information.'" Leaning her head back against the soft cushion on the back of the chair. "This is going to be a long night." She muttered, but hopefully she wouldn't spend all of it chains…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander and Willow followed Giles a little glumly through the cemetery; neither of them really wanting to be there. Their steps quick as they hurried to keep up with Giles almost frantic pace. "This prince/demon guy was supposed to rise at sunset so aren't we, like… late?" She asked, a little hopeful that they would be able to go home.

"Of course," Giles grumbled irritated. "If I hadn't had to search the globe for our Ms Summers and do battle with that harridan…"

"And if you hadn't gotten lost on campus afterwards…" Xander interrupted, only to trail off at the look Giles shot him.

"Did you think to check Angelus' mansion?" Willow asked, a little breathless as she practically hoped a step to keep pace.

"Never mind." Giles said quickly, a slight flush heating his cheeks. Willow and Xander looked at each other and rolled their eyes, the both of them knowing that that answer meant one of two things.

1. He hadn't thought of it or 2. He'd thought of it and hadn't wanted to go in on his own in case he accidentally saw something he didn't want to… Willow felt a flush heat her own cheeks as she remembered walking into her dorm the other night and finding Angelus and Buffy both naked; under the sheets but naked none the less. "I'll just have to take care of it myself." Giles continued completely unaware of the thoughts of his companions. "I've vanquished a few demons in my day without her. Of course, it wouldn't surprise me if we're entirely too late. Demon on the loose, carnage everywhere," He said decisively as they reached a mausoleum. Giles pushed open the wrought iron gate and the three of them stepped inside of the old stone building. Opening the interior door that was still closed, much to Giles surprise; a surprise that he kept to himself, knowing that they would find evidence of the princes rising inside the old mausoleum.

As they stepped down into the stone structure, dust gathered on everything and a musty old smell in the air, but apart from that everything was peaceful and undisturbed nothing like the carnage and devastation Giles had spent the entire trip over telling them about. "Your better demons will clean up after themselves." Xander quipped as he took in the large completely undisturbed cobwebs that practically covered every inch of the old walls.

Giles frowned as he looked around confused. "I don't understand…" He muttered as he moved to the centre of the mausoleum floor. Turning on his flash light as if hoping that the light would reveal some kind of devastation that they had missed before. "Umm, there should be ruptured earth and-and broken stone." Shrugging it off. "Oh, well, apparently it hasn't happened yet. A bit of luck." He said calmly as he set down his bag of supplies and squatted down over it, beginning to unpack the supplies he brought.

"Or, you know what, I bet?" Willow spoke up causing Giles to look up from unpacking his bag. "I-I bet the military group took care of it."

Giles gave her a confused look. "What?" He asked not sure what the military group had to do with. Sure he knew that Buffy had found a way to get more information about the group, but there was nothing about them that suggested that they dealt with this kind of thing…

"Oh, Riley and his team, probably all over it." Xander said with a nod as he looked around the mausoleum again with a new appreciation.

"Yeah. It has that 'too neat' look. They must have cleaned up the place." Willow said agreeably completely unaware of the ticking bomb that was Giles temper they had created.

"What?" Giles questioned again, looking really rather lost. Wondering how they suddenly knew some much more information about the group he had desperately been researching and coming up almost completely empty.

"Oh, they read hot spots. Areas of otherworldly energy." Willow explained, using the deductions she had made with Buffy days ago when she'd talked to them about how she'd seen Riley with a game console looking thing in his hand; looking at it with intensity, that coupled with the fact that he had managed to find his way to the ruins of the old high school. All the while wondering why she had to seeing as Giles had to know all this already. "They must have picked this place up days ago."

Giles stood a frown on his face as once again he felt quiet out of place, and that coupled with the way his meeting had gone with that… that fishwife of a commander made the feeling all the stronger and made his already peaked temper rise just a little further. "Stop, both of you!" He demanded, his brain whirling as he looked at the both of them. Who were looking at him with surprised expressions on their young faces. "Uh, what… uh… what are you talking about? And what does it have to do with the military group?" He asked as he raised the flashlight up so that it was aimed at their faces, that had turned nervous as they glanced at each other.

"You know. I-I'm sure you know." Willow murmured, a guilty hint to her voice, knowing that she hadn't told Giles about it, but she was sure that Buffy had told him. She would have had to! "Riley, the commando that set up the meeting between Buffy and Walsh was at the apocalypse thing at the high school… helped us stop it… or rather saved Buffy when she uh… I mean it's mostly conjecture on our part… I'm sure you know." Willow stuttered nervously.

"What?!" He exclaimed in annoyance. "Well, that's marvellous, isn't it?" He grumbled, before he turned away from them as he fought the urge to stomp his foot in frustration. "Here I am, spent weeks trying, uh, to get a single scrap of information about our mysterious demon collectors and no one bothers to tell me that you were sitting on a nice little pile of new information that could come in handy!" Giles grumbled, before whirling around to face them, his expression accusing and the two could almost see the finger that he wasn't physically pointing at them. "Who else knows?" He demanded to know.

"No one. No one else knows this." Xander hurried to assure Giles before pausing as he realized that he was wrong. "Anya, and that's it!" He corrected, feeling rather nervous under the hard stare Giles was levelling on him.

"A-And Spike." Willow admitted sheepishly. The undead peroxide vampire having been present when they'd met up in Xander's basement. "Oh… and Angelus… of course." She added wincing at the way Giles expression fell.

"Ssspike?! Spike knew?" Giles asked devastated that the annoying vampire was privy to information that they hadn't even bothered to share with him… and they didn't even like the peroxide blond!

"O-Only, because he was bunking down in my place…" Xander tried to assure the ex-Watcher and failed miserably.

"So, th-the demon is probably a little late." Willow said trying to change the subject from their unintended betrayal, and make him feel better. "W-we'll just, you know…"

"Oh forget it." Giles cut her off, in no mood to be placated. "Go on. You two clear off. I'll just stay a little longer just in case." He muttered.

"You sure?" Willow forced herself to ask, wanting to make it up to Giles, despite the fact that his anger made her want to go hide under a rock rather than face it. "'Cause we can stay."

"No. Go." Giles ordered stiffly.

With the both of them eager to escape the brunt of Giles justifiable wrath, Willow and Xander made a hasty retreat back up the stairs and out of the mausoleum. Giles meanwhile sat heavily down on a dusty stone bench, the silence of the mausoleum eating at him like it normally wouldn't. Still he managed to remain seated for a few seconds. "Who am I kidding?" He muttered under his breath; feeling really rather useless in that moment. He got up off the stone bench and hurriedly stuffed his supplies back into his bag; using the exercise to vent some of his anger and frustration. "Nothing is gonna happen." He muttered, finishing his task he got up and stalked out of the mausoleum.

Closing the door behind him, completely unaware that he had been watched the entire time. Ethan stepped out of the shadows he had hidden in the moment he had heard Giles approach, his grey trench coat keeping him warm in the cool mausoleum. His gaze focused on the closed door Giles had just walked through. "I wouldn't say that." He murmured with a smug smile. "I wouldn't say that at all. In fact, Ripper, old mate, I'd say something rather interesting was about to hap…" The door Ethan was staring at suddenly opened again causing him to trail off in surprise.

Giles shone his flashlight into the mausoleum having been lingering outside of the door for a few moments as he tried to gather himself. "Did someone…" He began only to trail off as his flashlight lighted on Ethan Rayne.

"Oh bugger! I thought you'd gone!" Ethan exclaimed wondering just how much his old pal had heard… if anything at all through the thick mausoleum door.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy yawned stretching her still cuffed hands over her head, she was still sitting in the chair Angelus had bound her to earlier that evening; mostly because her feet were still shackled together so that she couldn't go do anything stupid, an empty pizza box on the ground in front of her. "So, are you going to unchain me anytime soon?" Buffy asked casually, as she looked over at Angelus who had lit a fire to warm up the mansion for her as the Californian sun gave way to a cooler night than usual, giving testament to the changing of the seasons. "I mean, I've already promised you that I'm not going to do it. That we'll find another way to get information about The Initiative, what more do you want… a written contract?" She quipped.

Angelus turned his gaze away from the crackling warmth of the fire. "Did you want to be closer to the fire? I can get you a blanket if you're cold." He offered.

Buffy let out a slightly exasperated sigh. "I'll take that as a 'not anytime soon'." She muttered under her breath. She understood why he was doing it, but her wrists were getting sore, not to mention her ankles. Angelus walked over to her and picked up the chair carefully moving both her and the chair closer to the roaring fire. "I wasn't actually cold." Buffy muttered, her arms now resting in her lap. Grateful that Angelus had at least allowed her to keep her arms in front of her now; something he'd done so that she could feed herself the pizza he'd gone out to get her. "You know, most people deal with worry and concern by talking about it. So we could try that… not that bondage isn't fun and all." She quipped.

Angelus sighed again. "I know you, Buff. You may mean what you're saying right now, but if something happened, you'd change your mind and go with the original plan just to get in."

Buffy opened her mouth to refute his statement, only to shut it again, when she realized that he was more than likely right. "Well, there is nothing else I can do, Angelus. So… unless you're going to keep me chained up for the rest of my life…" She paused for a small moment. "Not a course I'd recommend by the way." She said conversationally, a small hint of a warning in her voice.

"It's not going to be for long." Angelus assured her. "Just until there is no chance that The Initiative is going to take you in amongst their midst."

"Ya know, this doesn't bode well for the trust dynamic here." Buffy quipped, beginning to feel tired… and a little drained.

Angelus muttered unintelligibly under his breath, this wasn't working out the way he had wanted it to. "I'm just trying to protect you from yourself, Buff."

Buffy sighed. "I know," She admitted. "And in a way it's very sweet, but seriously… we are both adults here. So… the chains really aren't necessary… I get it, Angelus. I didn't before, but I do now." She murmured. "And I believe you. So, I'm going to do my best to keep my distance from them." Buffy assured him and smiled as Angelus sighed, before pulling the key out of his pocket and bending to unshackle her feet. When he looked up at her she moved her hands so that she could touch his chin and urge him up and towards her so that she could press an affectionate grateful kiss to his lips.

She only found it a little odd that she felt grateful and happy in this moment, instead of the usual annoyance that would normally follow after being chained up for so long. It just touched her so much that he cared enough to want to do it. It may not be the usual way one expressed care and worry, but when one decided to date a vampire; especially one that was fairly new to experience the more tender and affectionate emotions in life… one had to expect large differences in the way it was expressed. "Hey," She murmured as she pulled back from his lips; feeling his hand touch hers as he began to unlock the cuffs. "I love you." She murmured.

Angelus touched his lips to hers again at her words, his tongue flicking out over her lips, causing them to part to accept his tongue and her arms came up to caress his shoulders. "How about we get more comfortable?" Angelus murmured as he slowly pulled back from her.

Buffy sank her pearly white teeth into her lower lip as she smiled up at him in anticipation, before nodding eagerly. Enjoying the fact that she could now feel some confidence in her sexual prowess and more importantly feel beautiful and attractive in Angelus' eyes; she found that her unease with him was swiftly beginning to disappear completely now that she had opened herself up to him and had found her heart handled with care and her trust remained unbroken. It was an empowering feeling… one that she planned to enjoy to the fullest whilst she had the chance. The Slayer's lifespan was far too short to be wasted… and she didn't plan to waste any more of it, now that things were finally falling into place for her; what with her confidence returning.

Angelus stepped back slightly, his hands pulling her up from the chair as their hands began groping at each other; pulling at each other's clothes with a desperation born of passion that was always simmering beneath the surface between them…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles moved quickly down the steps so that he was standing in front of Ethan, his piercing blue eyes glaring at the man he had once called friend. "Ethan Rayne. You have no idea how much thrashing you is going to improve my day." His blue eyes flashing angrily at him. In a quick move Ethan tried his best to bolt past Giles, only for Giles to move just as swiftly as he raised his arm, angling the torch he was holding in his hand so that the butt of it slammed into Ethan's gut, forcing Ethan to slump forward, his knees weak from the pain causing him to crumple to the dusty mausoleum floor. Without hesitation Giles grasped him by his jacket and jerked him back up, his hand that was still clutching the torch raised in the air ready to swing down through the air to begin to seriously pummel his old friend.

Ethan raised his arms in an attempt to ward off the blows he knew his old friend would rain down on him without hesitation, if he didn't convince him otherwise. "No, no, no! Wait!" Ethan pleaded scared of the pain he knew that old Ripper could dish out when he had the mind; and he seemed to have had the luck to catch him when he was in a particularly foul mood. "Hang on! You-you can beat the crap out of me. Go ahead, I can't stop you!" Giles pulled his fist back further, his lips thinned down as he pursed them. "Or-or you can listen to what I have to say. Find out what's going on." Ethan enticed, hoping that it would be enough to stop the beating that was about to come his way.

Despite himself Giles hesitated. "What are you talking about?" He asked, a dull feeling sinking into his stomach that he was going to regret asking.

"Something bad is happening. Bad for the both of us." Ethan said mysteriously, knowing that he had to keep his old friend interested if he wanted to avoid the beating Giles wanted to deal out to him.

"Bad for you." Giles said lowly as he raised his fist; that he let fall slightly at Ethan's words.

"No, no, no! Listen!" Ethan pleaded again. "You have to listen! You're going to need time to prepare!" Giles grimaced, hating the fact that he was considering listening to Ethan instead of just kicking his ass like he had originally planned the moment he saw his hated face. After a long moment where Ethan waited with baited breath, wondering if he was about to receive the beating his old friends expression said he was about to get, before Giles slowly lowered his fist and reluctantly released his jacket. His fingers still itching to do damage to Ethan's far too smug face.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles sat in a chair in a dimly lit, slightly honky tonky looking bar; one of the less popular ones in the small town of Sunnydale. The very reason why he had chosen it, very little chance that anyone that knew or recognised him would be here to see him with Ethan Rayne of all people. "Brilliant!" Ethan exclaimed as he took off his grey trench coat, slinging it over the back of the chair, before he sat in the seat across the small table they had chosen to sit at. "Now isn't this more fun than kicking my ass?" He asked jovially.

"No." Giles muttered sullenly as his gaze focused on the frothy beer that the waitress had just set down in front of him, before moving away as quietly as she had returned with their order.

"Oh. It's more fun for me." Ethan said with a thin smile, before taking a large drink from his beer.

Giles curled his hand around the beer mug and lifted it up off the table. "Just tell me what you want to tell me." He muttered shortly, before taking a swallow of his own drink.

"Oh, so crass." Ethan said with mock hurt. "We used to be friends, Ripper. When did all that fall apart?" He asked.

"The same time you started worshiping chaos." Giles said matter-o-factly.

"Oh, religious intolerance. Sad, there. I mean look at the Irish troubles." Ethan said conversationally. Giles scowled at him in annoyance before getting up to leave, not wanting to have to listen to Ethan's drivel if he didn't have to. "Oh, hang on, I'll tell ya." Ethan said quickly. Giles hesitated a moment before sitting back down with a sigh, his blue eyes piercing Ethan with badly disguised impatience. "Something's happening in the dark-worlds. There's always been rumours out there but… only one thing's coming through clear." Ethan paused for effect, enjoying the fact that he now had Giles interested. "That's something's harming demons and it's not The Slayer. Know anything about it?"

Giles took another swallow of his beer, his mind immediately jumping to the military group; a frown darkening his brow as he once again felt the sting of being left out of the loop, something that reminded him that Buffy hadn't bothered to check in after her meeting with that fishwife of a Professor. "What are they saying?" He asked hoping that Ethan would actually be at least a little helpful for once during one of his unwelcome visits.

Ethan gave a little shrug. "Heh, you know demons. It's all exaggeration and blank verse. 'Pain as bright as steel' things like that." Ethan leaned forward in his chair. "There's something called '314' that's got them scared most of all. The kind of scared that turns to angry. I know we're not particularly fond of each other," Giles chuckled at the understatement as he took another swig of his beer. "Rupert. But we are a couple of old mystics. This new outfit, it's blundering into new places it doesn't belong. It's throwing the world out of balance. And that's way beyond chaos, mate." Ethan leaned back once again. "We're headed quite literally for one hell of a fight."

Giles took another swig from his beer, his expression somewhat thought as he wondered at Angelus' comments at Buffy's birthday party in a whole new light; as he wondered if the dark vampire knew about it and that were half of his worry was stemming from and for whatever reason wasn't just coming out and saying it.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy breathed evenly as she moved quickly in an unused room empty room. Her every move fluid and graceful, but not less deadly in their accuracy as she trained against thin air; she had no idea where it had come from, but as she lay beside Angelus on top of a rug in front of the blazing fire in a dopey half sleep quite contended after the mind blowing bout of lovemaking she had shared with Angelus, she had suddenly felt a restless energy consume her and before she knew it she couldn't lay still anymore! And so here she was a frown furrowing her brow as she punched and kicked at the air, trying to get rid of the energy that was sitting oddly in her belly, making it squirm… like some was about to go horribly wrong.

And no matter how hard she tried she couldn't shake the feeling! And that more than anything had her worrying even more. Buffy grunted as she put a lot more effort behind the punch she threw wanting to get the niggling feeling to disappear; the weight of it in her belly troubling her. And so she continued to move across the room, slowly beginning to work up a sweat as more time went by, but still the heavy feeling in her belly refused to budge. Buffy was so focused on her movements and the heaviness that had settled down on her; she didn't notice that for a long while she had had an audience.

Angelus leaned his shoulder against the door frame as he stood in the doorway watching his lover and future mate move determinedly about the room. He had felt her get up and leave him, but hadn't been overly concerned at first, thinking that perhaps it was just the call of nature that had her leaving him to 'sleep' by the fire, but as more time had passed and Buffy hadn't returned, he'd left the fire side in search of her. He hadn't intended to spy on her, but there was just something about the way she moved that always managed to captivate him. He watched for a moment longer, before he stepped lightly into the unused room. His footsteps silent even across the stone as he moved towards Buffy's turned back as she continued to punch and kick at the air; every movement precisely executed. As he reached her Buffy turned on the heel of her left foot, her arm raised and hand clenched into a fist, only to be halted in the fluid deadly dance that she had been moving through as Angelus' large hand caught her flying fist, bringing her up short. "Oh," Buffy breathed out after a moment of silence as she simply stared up at him surprised that she hadn't sensed him coming. "I didn't wake you did I?" She asked as she pulled back her fisted hand and let it fall to her side. Her chest heaving more heavily with her breathes than usual.

"I wasn't actually asleep." Angelus replied as he gaze down at her a small smile pulling up his lips. "So, tell me. What is it that has you so restless so soon after being so pleasantly exhausted?" He asked, his smile growing cocky.

Buffy gave a little shrug, not sure what to say at first; it was just a feeling after all. "I just had this sudden restless feeling… like something is about to happen and I have no idea what… but whatever it is… I-I don't thinks it's going to be good, Angelus." She murmured the frown that had been darkening her face before, returning as she focused on the feeling that was still niggling deep in her belly.

Angelus frowned himself the smile that had been curling up his lips, slowly sliding off them as he stared down at her; his expression showing vague hints of worry. And he couldn't help but wonder if she was beginning to sense the danger that was buzzing all about the demon populous… he doubted that he had ever seen the demons on the hellmouth or anywhere for that matter, as scared as these ones where… the kind of scared he had seen turn into outright bloody brawls. Mentally shaking himself out of the serious thoughts, not wanting Buffy to catch on to them, knowing that if she knew what he knew… there would be no power in the whole of the world that would stop her from getting to the bottom of it… which would mean infiltrating The Initiative, something he had only just managed to persuade her out of doing.

Angelus smiled once again, his hands moving across the small space between them to take her hands in his own. "Well, how about I help you to alleviate some of this anxiety?" He murmured as he stepped closer towards her, gently pressing her hands together behind her back, his body pressing up against hers softly.

Buffy looked up at him, her hazel eyes twinkling up to him, believing that she knew what he was hinting at. "What did you have in mind?" She asked as she began to rise up onto her toes; expecting a kiss.

"Well…" Angelus dragged it out as he watched Buffy get closer to him. "We haven't had a good old fashioned sparring match in a long while." He suggested hopefully.

Buffy stopped rising onto her toes and settled back down onto the flats of her feet, slightly surprised for a short moment, before she regained herself and smiled slightly actually liking the idea of a friendly match between them… it had been so long since she had been able to actually enjoy a match between them… the last time had to be when she'd still had Angel with her… Buffy swallowed thickly in momentary sadness at the loss, before she forced herself to turn her mind from it… Angel was happy in his peace… and she deserved the same… "Sounds like fun."

Angelus smirked down at her and released her hands and brought his knee up so that it slammed up into her gut, before kicking her away from him. Buffy tumbled to the floor in a controlled roll, one of her arms coming up to clutch at her gut for a moment as she scrambled back up to her feet. "But if you want to win this friendly little match out ours… you'll have to hit a hell of a lot harder than that." Buffy taunted gently, knowing that Angelus had held back a fair bit in that first kick.

Angelus smirked at her. "Ah, well it wouldn't be fair to send you down and out in the first blow, lover." He teased as he cracked his neck, his juices already flowing in his excitement for the upcoming match.

"Like one blow would ever be enough to take me out." Buffy re-joined, before she took a quick step towards him, closing the distance between them as she swung out at him, with a strong strike aimed for his chest.

Angelus quickly blocked catching her fist in the palm of his hand. "Now, you're going to have to do better than that, Buff."

"Oh, I'm just getting started." Buffy rebutted as she swung up with her free hand, back handing Angelus harshly across the face, getting him to release the hand he had captured, which she quickly used to deliver the punch to his gut that he had blocked the first time round. Angelus didn't take long to recover and this time it was Buffy's turn to go on the defensive as she blocked two punches one after the other, moving backwards as Angelus moved forward with a purposeful stride. With a grunt Buffy blocked a kick that was aimed at her head, a small grunt of effort escaping her at the power behind the kick. The grunt turned to a sound of surprise as she found her footing lost as in a quick move Angelus shifted and kicked one of her legs out from underneath, causing her to topple over with her loss of balance.

Buffy executed a quick roll, evading Angelus next attack that was aimed at her gut. Flipping herself back up to her feet, she ducked in expectation of a hit that was designed to knock her back down, and she felt some of her hair rustle as Angelus' leg swept through the air above her head for a moment. Spinning around her arm outstretched to deliver a blow to Angelus' side, only to have it blocked by his own arm. His hand curled around her arm and pulled her in towards him, Buffy allowed him to knowing that fighting the tug would leave her completely open to the blow he was about to deliver; instead she braced herself for it…

The two moved swiftly, knowing the others moves making it so that more punches and kicks where blocked than landed as they danced around each other… and before Buffy knew it the weight that had been churning uncomfortably around in her stomach lifted in the face of the punches and kicks she was throwing and blocking; the exercise fun and more enjoyable in a sparring match than just punching and kicking at the air. Angelus knocked Buffy off her feet once again. Buffy hit the floor with an 'oof' before she kicked her own leg out catching Angelus' left knee, forcing him to drop down to his knees, giving her the time to get back up to her feet. Moving to kick Angelus before he could get up, she sucked in a sharp breath as he caught her foot and she just knew that she was about to be kissing the stone once again. "Gah, damn it!" Buffy cursed as her back hit the harsh stone floor again.

Angelus smirked down at her, having quickly jumped back up to his feet. "What's a-matter Buff? You're not getting tired already, are ya?" He teased.

Buffy leapt back up to her feet. "You wish, I'm only just getting warmed up." She assured him, a smile curling up her lips as for a short moment she assessed what to do next. Quickly closing the distance, Buffy fisted her hands in his shirt, slamming him up against the wall, before she threw a punch at his face. Angelus took the hit, his face knocking against the wall from the force behind the blow. With a growl, Angelus turned back to look at her, his face having shifted into the hard ridges of the demon. Grasping her by the arms, Angelus spun them about, pressing Buffy up against the wall. Buffy met Angelus' amber gaze and recognised the look in them; appreciating far more than the cold hatred that had used to shine out of them clearer than ever when they were like this… his mouth claimed hers a moment later and Buffy moaned; her knees immediately growing weak. "What happened to sparring?" Buffy asked a little breathlessly when she managed to get her mouth free of his for a short moment.

Angelus chuckled deep in his throat as he claimed her mouth again for a moment before he kissed his way down her neck. "Who says we've stopped?" He murmured as his hands began tugging at her clothes.

Buffy laughed, her hands coming up to begin pulling at his clothes in return, finding herself completely not interested in the sparring as she was in satisfying the sudden ache that was heating her core; making her want to get naked as quickly as possible…to feel him against her… deep inside of her. Angelus growled lustily as Buffy ripped his shirt open, causing the buttons to fly across the room. a groan escaping seconds after as her hot mouth began ravishing the newly exposed skin…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles hiccupped drunkenly as he stared blearily across the table at Ethan; the table was now cluttered with mostly empty beer and shot glasses. His blue eyes only half open as he tried to focus his drunken gaze on his old friend. "You know what gets me?" He hiccupped. "This is what gets me. Twenty years I've been fighting demons." He pointed a drunken finger across the table for no apparent reason; except perhaps to help make his point. "Maggie Walsh and her Nancy-Ninja boys come in and six months later, demons are pissing themselves with fear. Never even noticed me." He muttered piteously.

"Who's Maggie Walsh?" Ethan asked with a drunken slur almost knocking over a couple of glasses as he shifted haphazardly in his seat.

"Oh, she's awful." Giles explained. "She said I was an absent male role model. Absent my ass. I'm twice the man she is." He grumbled a little loudly, paying no attention to Ethan as he took a large gulp of the last of his beer.

"You know you're really very attractive." Ethan seemingly replied; almost making Giles choke on his beer.

"Huh?!" He exclaimed, turning his gaze back to Ethan only to see that Ethan hadn't been paying attention to what he had been saying as the waitress had come back bearing fresh glasses of beer and rolled his eyes a little.

"Here's my name and number." Ethan slurred as he scrawled the information haphazardly on the paper, before handing it to her. The waitress took it with a look of distaste; something that was completely lost on Ethan. "You give me a call, I'll show you a good time." He promised.

The waitress rolled her eyes as she stuffed the number into her apron with every intention of throwing it out the first chance she got. "Yeah, thanks." She muttered, before she turned and moved away from the table hoping that the two would leave soon; the old guy that had just given her his number was an ass when drunk.

Giles turned his gaze away from the retreating waitress back to Ethan who was still looking after the waitress with drunken appreciative eyes. "We gotta face it, we've changed." Giles muttered, before reconsidered. "Well, not you… you're still sadistic and self-centred.

Ethan smirked and raised the fresh glass of beer in the air. "Here's to me." He cheers'd himself, before taking a large gulp.

"The world has past us by." Giles slurred disheartened. "Someone snuck in and left us a couple of has-beens in our place. "This Military outfit, I mean, their methods may be causing problems, but they're getting the job done." He muttered. "Where am I? I'm an unemployed librarian with a tendency to get knocked on the head." He slurred self-pityingly.

"Well, we won't have to worry about that anymore now, mate." Ethan said cheerfully, before his entire demeanour turned seriously. "When you went to the loo I slipped a small pellet of poison in your drink. You'll be dead in an hour."

Giles froze as he swallowed down the beer he'd just took into his mouth, his glass hovering between his lips and the table, the effects of the alcohol disappearing for a moment, allowing him to feel almost completely sombre as he stared at Ethan trying to figure out if the man was serious or not.

Ethan's face split into a wide grin. "Just kidding!" The moment the words left his lips the two burst into laughter, their small moment of sobering up disappearing; the effects of the alcohol rushing back in as the serious moment passed.

"I'm gonna feel like hell in the morning." Giles said when he began to calm down.

"Relax." Ethan encouraged. "Enjoy the night. We're just a couple of old sorcerers. The night is still our time. Time of magic."

In unison they raised their glasses in a toast. "To magic." Giles toasted and together they drank to it. Giles now too drunk to notice as Ethan's lips curled up into a sly smile as Giles continued to drink, completely unaware that his 'kidding' was actually more of a half-truth.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow looked around Tara's dorm room. She loved it in here; it was always so mystical and magical, compared to the room she shared with Buffy. It made her envy the fact that Tara got to live in a dorm by herself. Not that she didn't like living with Buffy… when she wasn't accidentally walking in on naked Angelus and Buffy in her bed… in their dorm. Willow turned her gaze from the white Christmas lights that were hung about Tara's dorm room walls; giving it a dimly lit mystic glow. She smiled affectionately as she watched Tara finished the white sand design of the encircled four-point star, as she twirled the stem of the red only half flowered rose she was gently holding. "I'm glad that you wanted to get together. I know it's late." Willow murmured, knowing that it might be too much to ask two nights in a row.

"Thanks." Tara murmured. "I was happy you called." She admitted after a hesitant beat.

Willow smiled, glad that the timid blond felt that way; as the feeling echoed her own. Placing the rose gently on top of the newly completed encircled four-point star; being careful to not mess up the grains of sand. "We'll start out slow." Willow explained to her new friend as they sat on opposite sides of the star; just the tiniest amount of nervous excitement coursing between them at the idea of attempting to perform an actual spell. Tara shifted from her kneeling position to a cross-legged one as she sat aside the jar full of white sand just as Willow reached across the star and rose. Tara took her hands gently, hoping that her hand weren't too sweaty a thrill of excitement coursing through her at the soft touch of their hands.

"Ok," Tara agreed with a shy smile. Willow closed her eyes and Tara quickly followed suit, her fingers shifted slightly over Willow's for a moment as they sat in silence, before she broke the silence. "Willow?" She asked.

"Yeah?" Willow replied, her eyes still closed as she tried to get the magicks flowing.

Tara opened her eyes. "Starting out slow doing what?" She asked, a little embarrassed that she didn't know.

Willow opened her eyes, embarrassed that she hadn't taken the time to actually explain what they were attempting in her excitement. "Oh." She murmured as she released Tara's hands, her arms starting to get a little sore. "We're gonna float the rose. Then use the magicks to pluck the petals off, one at a time." She explained with a small smile. "It's a test of synchronicity. Our minds have to be perfectly attuned to work as a single delicate implement."

Tara absorbed the information for a moment, before she smiled. "Cool." She murmured.

Willow nodded her agreement. "And it should be very pretty." She murmured with a smile.

Tara nodded her understanding and the two linked hands again as they closed their eyes once again. A smile curled up Willow's lips as after only a short moment she felt the buzz of their magicks comingling, rising slowly… carefully in the air around them. _'Careful.'_ Willow thought.

_Carefully.'_ The white sand began to glow as the two woman began to concentrate whole heartedly; and the rose began to shudder as the magicks circled about it. The two mostly untrained Wiccan's doing their best to get it to float up into the air. After a moment the rose began to rise up off the glowing sand. And all so slowly the rose floated higher and higher into the air between their extended arms. When it reached shoulder level they opened their eyes delighted smiles lighting up their faces as they saw what they had achieved together. "It worked." Tara murmured softly as they released each-others hands, not wanting to upset the delicate magicks they had invoked.

Willow straightened up as she rested her hands in her lap. "Now for the hard part. The petals." She murmured softly, her expression giving away just how excited she was. The two stared up at the floating rose, concentrating fully on the magicks once again. Willow bit her lower lip as she concentrated really wanting to see petals slowly plucked from the rose that was slowly beginning to turn in the air in response to their concentrated efforts, making both women hopeful that they would succeeded. But suddenly out of nowhere the rose shot across the room as if it had been shot out of a gun. Surprised Willow and Tara jumped to their feet, watching as the rose sped across the room like it had taken a magic induced high as it ricochets off the four walls a few times, having to duck a couple of times to stop being hit by the flying rose missile.

Finally after a few moments the rose fell back down onto the four-pointed star that had now stopped glowing. The two women looked down at the rose that was now just a smoking stem. "What the heck was that?" Willow asked a little concerned as she glanced up from the smoking stem to Tara.

Tara glanced up from the rose to and gave the red head a small smile. "I don't know, but uh, the petals are off." She said with a small chuckle.

Willow tried to chuckle to, but the feeling she had gotten, just as the rose sped out of their control, didn't leave her in a chuckling mood. "Yeah,"

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles groaned tiredly as he walked with painful steps towards the door of his room; each step forward making the pounding in his head that much worse. And there was a foul taste in his mouth, something he had become aware of the moment his confounded alarm had started blaring noisily through his room. He yawned widely, completely missing the fact that the noise of it sounded rather different to his usual one. "I feel like hell in the morning." He muttered as he walked out of his room. Making it to the landing at the top of his staircase, he found he had to stop again as another powerful yawn over took him; stretching his arms over his head as he did so. Turning to face a mirror, Giles eyes opened once again only to freeze at the sight that greeted him. The sight immediately making him forget all about the pain in his head and the foul taste in his mouth as his hands that had been half lowered from his earlier stretched flew to his face as his calm expression turned to one of shock and horror.

He took in his knew large curled horns light brownish skin and long furry ears and sharp fang like teeth as his mouth dropped open in his horror. "Uh! Wha… Wha…" He stammered as he reached up to touch his newly sprouted horns timidly. "No!" He exclaimed in horror as he leaned closer to the mirror he moved to place a hand against the wall next to his mirror and his newly clawed easily went straight through the wall instead; not being able to control the new found strength he had gained with the transformation. Immediately he pulled his hand back and turned resting it on the banister not quiet believing what had happened to him, only to rip it right up from the railing, surprising Giles further. Giles waved the banister around just a little as he floundered at the sight of his banister was clasped in his now clawed hand. "Damn!" He cursed as he stumbled down the stairs.

Making it down onto the main floor of his condo, he managed to get his claws; that had sunk deeply into the wood of the banister, removed from the wood and he threw it down. Where it hit a chair that was in the way and shattered the chair to bits as Giles had used more strength than he had intended to… more strength than he should have. Giles looked around his condo; his gaze going from the broken chair to the upper staircase where the railing stood in ruins in a state of confusion as he wondered what could have possibly happened, before a thought struck him. "Ethan!" He growled, the new low gravelly tenor to his voice sounding strange in his ears. Looking around his condo again, his gaze landed on his phone and he quickly moved towards. Picking it up from its cradle and moved to bring it up to his ear, only for the strength in his hand alone to break the phone into bits before he could get it even half way up to his ear.

With a confounded and bothered expression Giles dropped the phone, his eyes landed on the shirt he had dropped to the floor in the wee hours of the morning when he'd finally gotten home from the bar he had spent most of the night in with Ethan. Hurrying towards the fallen shirt, he bent to pick it up. He struggled for a moment to get his arms into the sleeves; finding this new body awkward and more clumsy than the one he was used to. Giles shrugged on the shirt, or at least attempted to; only for the more prominent spinal bones to rip through the thin material of the shirt. Ripping it right down the middle, causing it to fall off of him far more easily than it had been for him to get it on. "Oh, and I liked that shirt!" Giles groaned with a grimace as he looked down at the ruins that had been his shirt.

Snatching up a thick flannel blanket to cover his demonic body; wrapping it around his shoulders as he headed swiftly for his front door. He grabbed at the handle intending to only open the door; only to accidentally rip the door off its hinges. Giles hardly even flinched at the extra damage to his condo as he quickly released the door and stepped outside and hurried on his way. His mind in a whirl as he hunkered down into the thick flannel of the blanket as he hurried on down the streets on the sunny Californian morning.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy sat in the Rocket Café across from Willow as she began stacking the pancakes she had ordered for breakfast onto her plate, completely unaware of the look Willow was giving her; her red haired friend not used to seeing her so happy anymore. She almost found it scary to see her looking like she was so happy that she could burst into song. Buffy stacked a couple of more pancakes onto her plate a happy smile curling up her lips, a smile that was so wide that it flashed her white teeth. She couldn't help it though, she'd had such a great couple of days with her friends and Angelus! To her it felt like the Buffy birthday curse was finally lifted after a few years of birthday bashes that could be more accurately described as horror bashes. "I like pancakes 'cause they're stackable." She commented as she looked up from her stacked pancakes to Willow's who'd chosen Waffles over pancakes. "Ooo, and waffles 'cause you can put things in the little holes if you wanted to." She gushed, unable to contain the happiness that was practically radiating from her it was that strong.

Willow couldn't help, but laugh, as much as it surprised her to see her friend so happy, it also lightened a load in her heart at seeing her so bright and bubbly; like the Buffy she'd gotten to know before Angelus. "Perhaps you should always have a sleep over with your boyfriend after a birthday bash. You're so fun right now."

Buffy stilled, her eyes a little wide as she looked over at her friend. "Sleep over?" She questioned a little cautiously.

"Uh, yeah… I kind of walked into the dorm room to find you and Angelus uh, sleeping quiet peacefully…" Willow murmured a flush darkening her cheeks.

A matching blush rising on Buffy's cheeks, but still she couldn't supress the smile that wanted to curl up her lips as she remembered just what had happened in that dorm room the other night. "Uh, yeah… sorry about that, Will. It just sorta happened… I didn't mean to uh… give you a bit of eye scar-rage." She apologised, hoping that it at least sounded sincere as she was sure that the grin on her face detracted from it greatly.

"Oh, don't worry about it… I mean I didn't see much. Just a back and perhaps an arm, before I back tracked." Willow assured her friend.

"Oh, well. I suppose that that isn't so bad. Though I do feel bad that it sorta chased you out of the room…" Buffy murmured as she poured a generous amount of syrup onto her pancakes.

Willow waved a dismissive hand. "It's no big. I spent the night in the chem lab, by myself." She lied, hoping that it sounded convincing, before she swallowed a little thickly as she looked over at Buffy who was beginning to dig into her pancakes; reminding her that she hadn't touched her own. "I-I was trying this new spell; floating a rose, when all of a sudden," Willow motioned with her fork what the rose had done. "Zing, zing, zing! Like all over the room. It was like a rose-based missile." She murmured a little disheartened; she'd really wanted the spell to be a success.

"Yikes." Buffy responded as she tried to imagine it.

"I know." Willow exclaimed, before lowering her voice. "I think there's something out there." She murmured. "I-I felt this presence… this dark magicks energy blocking the spell. It's new."

Buffy frowned slightly, remembering her own sudden feeling of dread the night before… but there was no reason that it was connected. "Someone else doing magicks?" She asked concerned.

Willow shrugged a little. "Maybe, if so, it's someone pretty powerful."

"Hmm. I'll tell Giles about it." She assured Willow, having wanted to inform Giles about the feeling she had gotten last night anyway… and to inform him how the meeting went with Professor Walsh and the fact that she was giving up on her attempt to infiltrate The Initiative. "I need to give him an update on the meeting anyway."

Willow chewed on a bit of her waffle, before swallowing it down. "Speaking of Giles… How come you didn't tell him everything about the military group?"

"I did." Buffy replied immediately, certain that she had, but Willow shook her head. "I didn't?" Buffy asked, her happy expression turning guilty and concerned.

"He says no." Willow informed her. "He's feeling neglected and out-of-the-loopy. I mean when Xander and I told him about our hypotheses about the military group; his reaction was… let's say… it wasn't pretty."

Buffy swallowed down the food in her mouth. "Oh, I didn't even realize that I hadn't… I mean I talked to you guys about it… and I guess… I just forgot that Giles wasn't there to. I mean he always used to be. But I'll make it up to him, when I tell him about the meeting... tomorrow. This afternoon I'm spending with Angelus." Buffy informed Willow, the smile returning to her face.

"Oh, so it's really starting to take off between the two of you now, huh." Willow murmured.

"It's just going so well, right now." Buffy gushed. "I mean I even got to put my stuff in the drawer, Angelus cleared out for me. And look, he got me this for my birthday." Buffy lifted the beautiful necklace from where it rested against her skin, drawing Willow's attention to the beautiful piece of jewellery.

"Oh, so Angelus gave you that." Willow murmured slightly in awe of the gift, that she had noticed before, but had thought that it might have been a gift from her mother. No man… or anyone had ever given her a gift like that.

"Yeah, apparently it's a symbol for eternity for the Celtic." Buffy explained, remembering what Angelus had told her about it when she'd asked.

"It's beautiful, Buffy." Willow complimented her voice a little wistful, for a moment before she changed the subject. "How did the meeting go, by the way? With Prof Walsh."

"Oh, wow… I really haven't been all spacy about keeping people informed." Buffy murmured, she'd completely forgotten that she hadn't even told Willow and Xander about what happened. The only person she really trusted that knew was Angelus.

"You've been busy with the blooming romance." Willow said with a little shrug… finding that for whatever reason the idea was bothering her less and less.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles carefully opened the door to Xander's basement glad that the door wasn't locked and that he managed to not break the door just by touching it. Ideally he wouldn't be coming to Xander first, but it was the one place that he could imagine not causing a lot of attention and panic whilst he was in pickle that he was. He walked quietly, moving through the haphazardly strung up clothes line, that was laden down with drying underwear. Finally getting a clear view, he was surprised to find Xander still lying asleep in his pull out bed. "Still asleep?" He murmured, his gaze going to the clock in the basement. "It's 10:30 in the morning." He muttered as he cautiously moved closer towards the bed, leaning down low so that he could whisper quietly, not wanting to disturb the rest of the house if at all possible. "Xander," He called. "Xander, wake up." He beseeched. Groggily Xander shifted restlessly on the mattress, before turning on to his side, facing a way from Giles wanting to sleep more, before he lifted his head and looked over his shoulder; his eyes still closed.

"Mom?" He asked, his voice slurred with sleep.

"No, it's not mom." Giles replied softly as he hovered awkwardly over Xander's bed, his body still crouched down as he held the blanket about him still. "Now, when you look at me… you may be a little alarmed, but there's no need, it-it's me. Giles. No, Ethan has turned me into a demon and I need your help." He explained, as Xander slowly and reluctantly opened his eyes; curious as to what was making the strange noises above him. "Hello." Giles murmured in response to Xander's opening eyes. "Yes, it's me."

Xander's eyes slowly focused as he blinked up at the person that was looming over his bed, and immediately his eyes widened in fear. "AHHHH!" Xander shouted in fear, before jumping out of his bed as the demon continued to growl and grumbled at him with sounds he couldn't understand.

"Xander, listen!" Giles attempted to plead, having no idea that he wasn't speaking any language that Xander could possibly hope to understand. "Don't you understand me?" He asked as he attempted to move towards the irate boy.

"Demon! Demon!" Xander shouted hysterically as the demon continued to growl and snarl at him.

"Please, don't you understand?" Giles asked as he took another step towards Xander, who grabbed up a pot from one of his shelves and threw it at the demon that was invading his sanctuary. Seeing how the demon flinched away from the missile that hit him solidly, Xander immediately began taking up pots and pans one after the other to throw at the ugly demon. "No, no! Don't! Xander!" Giles pleaded. "Xander, calm down! Ow, you're just a little overwrought! Oww!" A frying pan hit him alongside the head and Giles decided that it was best to retreat as he obviously wasn't going to listen to reason anytime soon.

"That's right!" Xander cried as he saw the vicious looking demon run for the door it had evidentially come through. "Run for your life!"

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles dashed as fast as his legs could carry him away from Xander's family home. Running across a neighbouring lawn; a lawn that had children playing on it. Clumsily Giles ran through their midst breaking the toys that they had been playing with some others he scattered as the children back off in horror. And a mother reached for her child, holding them close to her breast. "Oh, God. I'm sorry!" Giles apologized even though they couldn't understand.

"Call 911!" The mother called as she clutched her child to her, her eyes wide with fear as she watched the strange beast run.

"Bloody humans!" Giles cursed as he ran as fast as could to escape the prying eyes. Eyes that he had managed to avoid until his careless retreat from Xander's basement apartment.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus sighed as he stepped out of the boy's car, falling into step beside Buffy as they headed towards the courtyard, the small group still talking about the demon Xander, Willow and Anya had interrupted his night with Buffy for. He wasn't one hundred precent sure why he had felt such a strong desire to accompany them on this one. It seemed simple from what he had heard; something that Buffy could handle with a blind fold over her eyes, but with The Initiative infiltrating Sunnydale and now taking an interest in his golden Slayer… he wasn't about to start taking any chance. No matter how much it made him feel like he was slipping down the path Angel had taken… he was in no way joining the Scooby Gang! He was only here to look out for Buffy… the rest could all get hung for all he cared. His dark gaze went to Buffy and almost immediately; like she sensed it, she looked up and over at him, meeting his brown gaze with her hazel one as she faltered in the conversation distracted by him and smiled up at him; a smile that Angelus returned with a confident smirk.

Buffy turned her gaze away with a small almost unnoticeable shake of her head as she turned her attention back to the matter at hand. "So, it had pointy things. What kind of pointy things?" Buffy asked as she walked down the steps into Giles courtyard; Angelus beside her and Xander, Willow and Anya coming swiftly behind them.

"The pointy kind." Xander replied, the memory kind of fuzzy now as he'd been rather hysteric with fear at the time. "And tufty ears. Oh, and it might have a saucepan shape bruise." Xander added, hoping that that extra bit of information might help. Angelus rolled his eyes and bit back the scathing comment that wanted to slip past his lips, not feeling like arguing with the boy right now. The sooner they got this research session over with at the ex-Watcher's, the sooner he and Buffy could go back to what they were doing.

"Giles will know what it…" Willow trailed off as they came to a stop for a moment in front of Giles front door. The sight shocking and worrying everyone apart from Angelus who stared at the unhinged door that had clearly been broken away from the doorframe with a fair bit of force and was now leaning against the inside wall of Giles condo. "Was," Willow finished after a moment, her gaze worried.

Willow, Xander and Buffy exchange a worried look, before they hurried towards Giles open front door; Buffy in the lead. Angelus sighed, before he followed at a far more sedated pace, feeling that this was going to turn out to be a long assed night; instead of the quick one that he had been hoping for. "Giles?" Buffy called as she looked around the damaged living room; her eyes going to the broken telephone; whilst Xander quickly moved up the stairs to check the loft for the missing ex-Watcher. Buffy stepped around her gaze taking in all the other damage to Giles belongings, before her gaze lifted and landed on Angelus who was standing just in the broken doorway, a small frown pulling down his brow as he survey the damage to the condo. His gaze met hers for a moment and immediately he moved away from the door.

Closing the space between them, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder's comfortingly. Buffy raised a hand and placed it on top of one of his. "Looks like, Xander wasn't the only one to get a visitor today." She murmured with concern.

Xander came back down the stairs. "He's not upstairs." He informed them as he came back down to the living room.

"Oh, God, Giles." Willow exclaimed worriedly, her teeth worrying her lower lip and the prick of worried tears at the back of her eyes.

"Ok," Buffy murmured, trying to be soothing as she forced herself to step away from Angelus and his comforting hands as she stepped towards Willow, not wanting the red head to cry. "There's a demon and Giles is gone. But it doesn't mean that he's hurt. I mean, there's no blood anywhere so maybe the demon just took him somewhere?" Buffy suggested trying to be reassuring despite her own worry for her father figure.

Anya who had looked down at her feet, bent down and picked up the cloth that had caught her attention. Holding it up between her fingers she realized exactly what it was and she felt herself begin to worry about the old man herself. "I think it ate him up." She murmured mildly drawing everyone else's attention to the torn up ruins of Giles shirt that she was holding up for examination. Buffy swallowed thickly as she stared at Giles ruined shirt, her hands clenching into tights fists at her sides as she had the sudden urge to pummel the demon that was responsible for all the pain Giles had suffered at its hands.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles wandered miserably through one of Sunnydale's many cemeteries; still holding the thick flannel blanket around his upper body, covering it the absence of being able to don a shirt. He trudged past a stone mausoleum not noticing the peroxide blond vampire that was busily measuring the length of one the mausoleums walls with a measuring tape that he had snatched from Xander's basement apartment. Spike let the measuring tape snap closed as he caught sight of the demon that had happened to wander by him and smirked in anticipation as he stepped away from the wall and moved out behind the trudging demon. "Well, what do I spy with my little eye?" Spike said mockingly, causing the demon to stop at the sound of his voice. "A demon. That would be… oh, right… the things I can kill." Spike rumbled, looking forward to a spot of violence especially against a demon as ferrous as a Fyarl.

Giles groaned deep in his throat the sound rumbling demonically from his throat. "Spike," He muttered with a 'why me' tone. "Wonderful, a perfect end to a perfect day." He muttered sarcastically.

Spike frowned his anticipation and excitement falling right down at the very English sounding and familiar voice coming from the Frayl demon. "Giles?" Spike asked surprised, not sure that he could really believe what he was hearing.

Giles turned around reluctantly as he put his fists up; feeling really rather awkward about it. "Go on, then. Let's get on with the fighting…" Giles trailed off for a moment his expression puzzled. "You understand me?" He asked surprised and hopefully.

"Of course I understand you." Spike muttered, feeling really rather disappointed that his fight was a flunkout.

"I'm speaking English?" Giles asked hopefully; hoping that he might be able to ask for help from Buffy now and the others now.

Spike shook his head. "No, you're speaking Fyral. I happen to speak Fyral. And…" Spike gave him a once over. "By the way, why the hell are you suddenly a Fyarl demon? You come over all demony this morning?" He asked sarcastically; in no way expecting that to be the truth as he stepped back towards the mausoleum losing interest in Giles, the fact that the man had helped him in at least a small way discouraging from causing the man any bodily harm in a way of saying thanks. Spike pulled out his pack of smokes as Giles followed him over to the mausoleum he had just walked past.

"As a matter of fact, I did." Giles admitted with a sneer curling up his lips as his mind once again focused on the one responsible for his current predicament. "Thanks to Ethan Rayne. You have to help me find him. he must undo this and then he needs a…" Giles trailed off as he tried to think of something fitting. "Good being killed." He came up with.

Spike snorted a little as he placed the cigarette between his lips. "And I'm just supposed to help you out of the evilness of my heart?" He asked mockingly as he lit the cigarette with his cheap lighter.

Giles swallowed a little nervously. "Y-you help and I-I won't kill you." He threatened a little anxiously.

Spike took the smoke from between his lips. "Oh, tremendously convincing." He snorted sarcastically. "Try it again without the stutter." He suggested, before he took a drag from his cigarette.

"Money." Giles blurted and seeing the look of sudden interest on Spike's face continued. "I could pay you money."

Spike took a step towards Giles, taking a last drag from his newly lit up cigarette, before he flicked the cig away. "Oh, I like money. How much?" He enquired.

"A h-hundred dollars." Giles offered, not wanting to have to give away too much of his money to the vampire.

"A hundred dollars?" Spike scoffed. "You'll have to do a lot better than that." He assured Giles. "Two hundred." He countered.

"Fine." Giles agreed with out preamble.

Spike looked at Giles surprised for a second having expected the man to haggle with him a bit before settling on a price. _'Damn should have asked for three hundred.'_ He thought. "Right then." He muttered.

"Right, then." Giles echoed, not sure what to say at that moment after striking a bargain with Spike; something he had never thought that he would have to do… ever.

"So, what's first?" Spike asked with a grin. "I run and tell The Slayer what you've gotten yourself into?"

"No." Giles responded immediately, now that he had secured help he didn't want Buffy to know that he had in a moment of self-pitying weakness had fallen prey to Ethan Rayne. "When I find Ethan I can clear all this up without Buffy ever having to find out that anything happened to me at all." He decided, before he began walking towards the exit of the cemetery; Spike following after him for the promise of the two hundred bucks he would get at the end of this little debacle.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander sat at Giles desk, several occult books open in front of him as he tried to identify the demon he had seen in his apartment, with the help of the others that were also flipping through books doing their best to go off the description he had given them; well everyone but Angelus who was simply standing off to the side watching the others as they searched frantically through the books. A task that he thought a waste of time what with Xander's vague description of the demon, they could all be looking for hours. His eyes landed on Buffy and all it took was a glance to know that she was more than just a little upset by the whole thing… something that instantly tugged at him and had him sighing as he moved towards her and grabbed up an occult book that hadn't been thumbed through just yet. He was rewarded for his effort by Buffy giving him a small grateful smile, before she returned her attention to the book she was thumbing through.

Xander looked up at the book Willow was showing to him; his eyes taking in the picture that did indeed have pointy horns and furry ears. "Ok, that's a giant vulture. I'd have mentioned it, if it was a giant vulture." He informed her, growing a little impatient with the lack of respect.

Willow sighed in disappointment as she stepped away from Xander who had ducked his head back to the books he was looking at in a vain attempt at identifying the demon he had seen for about two minutes tops. "Buffy," Willow murmured with a down trodden sigh. "Even if we figure out what kind of demon got, Giles… I mean, how are we gonna find it?" She asked, beginning to feel like this was a waste of time… especially now that it was taking so long… it just felt like there was so many other things that they could be doing that would feel like they were doing more to actually find him… like tearing Sunnydale apart piece by piece.

"We'll figure it out." She assured Willow as she stepped towards Xander. "Oh, this one has tufty ears." She told him as she held the book out for Xander to inspect. Xander looked at it for a second before dismissing it as not the one with a small wave of his hand. Before Buffy could step back, all their attention was drawn towards the broken in front door as a suspicious noise came from just outside of it.

"What was that?" Willow whispered nervously to Buffy as Angelus shut the book with a soft snap and set it back down on the table he had picked it up from.

Buffy moved swiftly and quietly towards the door, her hand reaching for her stake; pulling it out of its hiding spot on her person. Angelus scowled darkly know just who was coming, his keen sense of smell picking him up immediately; it was bad enough that he had to endure that twit Xander, but now that damned commando was coming to join the fray. Well… if he was lucky… Buffy would at least punch him… it would be the highlight of his night at this moment. Buffy raised her arm; drawing back her stake for a strike as the door moved from its haphazard position. Buffy froze as she caught sight of the person coming through the door way. "Buffy?" Riley murmured surprised to see her here; a surprise that was echoed in Buffy.

"Riley." Buffy said in equal surprise as she lowered the stake she had been going to attack with. "What are you doing here?" She asked as she stepped back from the door; highly aware of the fact that Angelus had now changed positions in the room, so that he was closer to her… able to intervene if The Initiative flunky tried anything.

Riley shrugged a little awkwardly, still not used to giving out classified information, but Walsh had said to do what he needed to get Buffy where they needed her… and an order was an order. Nothing he could really do about that. "There were 911 calls from a couple of different places. Including here."

"You get 911 calls?" Xander asked before Riley or Buffy could say anything else.

"We have a tap into the system." He admitted. "It flags things with possible nonhuman causes." Xander shook his head in dismay and bent his head back to the books he was flipping through, wanting to find the damned thing so that they could move onto the frying it thing. "We check them out. What are you doing here?" He asked Buffy.

"Buffy's The Slayer. She has more right to be here than you, army boy." Angelus grumbled defensively before Buffy could even open her mouth to say anything. Drawing Riley's gaze to him giving him the impression once again that the man didn't like him at all.

"This is Giles' apartment." Buffy explained, ignoring the look Angelus shot her; despite feeling the intensity of it. "He's missing. The calls, did anyone see what did it?"

"Negative." Riley replied, falling back on his military lingo as Buffy stepped away from him, moving over to Angelus, wrapped his arms about her; in what looked to Riley a strong possess grip.

"Hey, relax." Buffy murmured as she angled herself so that she could whisper up at him, before she pressed a kiss to his jaw. "I promised that I wouldn't get involved with them… and when have I ever broken a promise to you?" She whispered quietly as Riley continued what he'd been saying.

"No," Angelus replied as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "But I don't trust him." He grumbled.

"You don't trust any of the military." Buffy countered, before she returned her attention the conversation at hand. Feeling Angelus squeeze his arms about her gently in response to her statement.

"Poor Giles." Willow murmured, a little guiltily wondering if she and Xander had stayed that this wouldn't have happened to him.

"We'll get him back." Buffy assured her friends as she continued to enjoy Angelus' embrace, finding comfort there… and certain sense of satisfaction that she had also comforted Angelus.

"What are you working on?" Riley asked curiously, wanting to be a part of it in any way he could. Knowing that it would be far easier to guide Buffy into The Initiative if her friends… partially Angelus' trust.

"Uh, we have stuff." Buffy offered cautiously, not sure how much she should tell him about their progress and what they were doing. "Pictures…"

"We have nothing." Anya interrupted, an expression on her face that clearly said that she thought that she was being helpful; and gave the others a 'what' look when they all shot her looks of annoyance.

Riley looked at Buffy and watched as it turned rather crestfallen as Anya's words sunk in. "I'll help." Riley offered, seeing it as a way in… and wanting to help… hoping that it would help Buffy see him in another light… perhaps in the light she saw her overly possessive boyfriend. "The whole Initiative. We'll do whatever you need."

"Thanks." Buffy said cautiously. "But that's really not nec…"

"I insist." Riley urged.

Buffy felt Angelus' chest rumble in a growl that he was struggling to supress and she stroked her hands up and down his arms to help sooth him; seriously not wanting anyone in The Initiative to know that he was a vampire… not after what they did to Spike… who knew what they would do to someone like The Scourge of Europe. "Well, uh, alright." She agreed reluctantly and felt Angelus' chest vibrate again, but was grateful that no sound made it out of him. "I just wish I knew what I needed. I keep thinking, 'let's ask Giles' and then I remember." Buffy murmured softly; sadly.

Xander nodded his agreement. "He'd be great right now. He'd find himself in a second. Nobody cooler in a crisis." He said an affectionate smile curling up his lips as he looked up from the books he was slaving over once again.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles flinched, his new sensitive ears picking up the sound of his cars gears being murdered by Spike's horrible driving skills; wishing that Spike had allowed him to drive… but at the same time… in the state he was in it was probably a bad idea… a very bad idea. "If you can't find third gear, don't try for third gear!" Giles finally snapped in annoyance.

"I'm doing my best." Spike said with a shrug, the old Citroen beginning to annoy him, making him wish that he'd made Giles go with him to get his car. "I don't know if I'm driving this thing or wearing it." He muttered, feeling really rather cramped up in the small car that Giles drove.

"It's perfectly serviceable." Giles retorted stiffly, causing Spike to laugh and Giles to give the peroxide blond vamp an annoyed glare.

"Funny hearing a Faryl demon say 'serviceable'. Had a couple of them working for me once, they're more like 'like to crush. Crush now?' Strong though, you won't meet a jar you can't open for the rest of your life." Giles growled loudly in response. Spike looked over at his companion in surprise. "What was that? Did you growl?" He asked curiously.

"No." Giles denied awkwardly. "Listen, about this Faryl demon. Do-do I have special powers?" He asked a little eagerly; actually beginning to enjoy himself. "Like setting thing on fire with my sizzling eye beams?"

"Well," Spike said considering. "You got that mucous thing?" He informed him.

"What?" Giles exclaimed somewhat crestfallen. "Mucous?" He'd been hoping for something a little more cool and-and intimidating… and not near so gross.

Spike nodded. "Paralysing mucous; shoots out through the nose, sets on fast. Hard as a rock. Pretty good in a fight."

Giles eyed Spike shrewdly. "Are you making this up?" He asked suspiciously.

Spike's lips curled up into a sly grin, unable to help antagonising his fellow Englishman. "Maybe. But hey, you feel a sneeze coming on, you warn me." He told Giles, making sure that he confused the ex-Watcher.

Giles growled again, his new phycology not appreciating the vampire's humour. "Turn here." He demanded, pointing in the direction he wanted Spike to turn, his arm slamming against the passenger side door; having forgotten that his arms were a lot more meaty and bulky than normal. Spike spun the wheel harshly in an attempt to make the left turn that Giles demanded. The old car screeched as the gears grinded together loudly. "Down shift! Down shift!" Giles growled angrily.

"Calm down, will you?" Spike grumbled, eyeing Giles a little concerned, not wanting to get caught in a sudden Faryl outburst of rage.

"I'm not sure I can." Giles admitted, a little anxiously. "I feel like I'm changing."

Spike sighed. "Fine with me, so long as you pay me." He muttered.

"I really like this feeling." Giles admitted, his voice more of a rumbling growl now than anything humanoid. "Sort of mindless need to destroy. This anger and rage."

Spike nodded his understanding. "Good times. Go with it." He advised.

Giles gave his head a small shake, as he began to succeed in calming himself down. "No." He replied almost calmly.

"Oh, it's fun." Spike urged. "I can't do it, do it for me. Now let yourself go."

"I refuse to become a monster because I look like a monster. I have a soul." Giles said with an attempt at dignity as he looked out the window. "I have a conscience. I am a human being." His eyes caught sight of Maggie Walsh. "Oh, stop the car!" He demanded, his voice becoming a growl once again in his unspent rage against the woman. Obediently Spike pulled the car over the curb the screech of gears combining with the screech of the breaks. No sooner had the car stopped at the corner of Main street that Giles jumped out of his car, leaving his blanket in the car as he snuck up behind Walsh as she was in the middle of crossing the street. When he was close enough Giles let out a roar to draw her attention, waving his arms about in what appeared to be a vicious manner. Walsh screamed in fright and immediately began running for her life as Giles chased her across the room and down the street. They passed the Expresso Pump and Giles stopped ignoring the stares he was getting as he thoroughly enjoyed watching that hag of a woman continuing to run for her life. Once she was out of sight Giles hurried back towards the car to a bemused Spike who was waiting with only a slight impatience. Giles got awkwardly back into his car and slammed the door shut behind him with more force than he intended. "Right, let's go, then." He muttered, ignoring Spike's knowing gaze.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Xander, Willow and Anya are sitting on the sofa in Giles' living room. Xander in the middle with an occult book open whilst Buffy sat on Angelus' lap on a couch beside the sofa; Angelus feeling rather possessive and protective with Riley in the room. The man in question standing behind the couch looking down at the book with interest, not having seen books like it before during his time as a professional demon hunter. "That's the thing that attacked me." Xander told them, his voice laced with his triumph.

"It took you long enough." Angelus muttered earning a glare from the boy. Buffy looked behind her at Angelus as she raised an eyebrow at him. Angelus shrugged, feeling too much on edge to not poke at Xander's pride… he had to take his frustrations out on someone and Riley was being too quiet at the moment to be on the receiving end. Leaning in swiftly he gave her a kiss, that lingered as he didn't want to pull back as well as really bring it home to the military boy that Buffy was his, no matter how much he fancied her.

"A Faryl demon." Willow read as she leaned in closer to read the finely printed words on the page. "Sort of a foot solider type, works for other demons lots of the time. Very strong… Ugh!" Willow moaned disgustedly, her nose scrunching up in distaste. "And hey, mucous."

Buffy turned her attention from Angelus and felt his hands squeeze about her waist gently. "Mucous?" She asked her own nose scrunching up in shared disgust.

Before Willow could answer, Riley's phone beeped loudly. Riley immediately pulled it out and answered it. "Agent Finn, go ahead." He spoke into it.

Buffy ignored Riley as she focused her attention back on Willow. "How do I kill it?" She asked.

Willow pursued the book for a moment longer reading on until she found the information that Buffy needed. "Silver, a weapon made of silver." She informed them. And Buffy nodded with determination, her hazel eyes flashing angrily as she couldn't help imagining getting her hands on the demon that had dared to attack someone she considered family.

Angelus leaned up close to her, resting his chin against her shoulder. "Am I feeling some serious murder vibes coming from you, lover?" He whispered quietly, before he pressed a kiss to her shoulder.

"Possibly," Buffy murmured. "No one hurts one of my family and gets away with it." She murmured lowly, her hands clenching and unclenching once again.

"Yes, I understand." Riley said into his phone, before he hung up the device and tucked it away once again. "The demon attacked Professor Walsh. Got out of a small, grey car. A Citroen." He informed them.

Willow frowned in confusion. "It stole Giles' car." She murmured.

"Why would a demon steal a car?" Xander asked.

"It's faster than walking." Angelus said mockingly, earning a small jap to his gut from Buffy's elbow, but there was no real heat in it, barely enough to making give a low 'oof'. "Ow, kitten." He muttered.

"Behave would you." Buffy whispered at him.

Angelus smirked and nibbed at her earlobe. "But you like it when I'm misbehaving." He whispered in her ear huskily, his smirk growing somewhat lewd as he scented Buffy's arousal beginning to perfume the air.

"Why would a demon steal that car?" Anya asked, her nose crinkling in distaste of the demons obvious lack of taste for the finer things in life.

Buffy cleared her throat, trying to clear her head, but it was hard when she could feel Angelus' cock beginning to harden beneath her bottom and she jumped up as she cleared her throat again, a flush darkening her cheeks as she heard Angelus softly chuckle knowingly. "A demon steals a car for a reason." Buffy began as she gathered thoughts, turning them away from the arousal Angelus had so effortless fanned to life inside of her. "A purpose. But it doesn't sound like these Faryl demons are really big independent thinkers. So, Will, the spells that are going wrong… could they be cause by someone using magicks to control a demon? Making this Frayl demon attack Giles?"

"Yes." Willow exclaimed glad to have seemingly found at least half an answer to the reason behind her spells with Tara turning into flying rose missiles. "Yeah, that would draw on a lot of dark energy." She agreed, as Riley listened intently, still finding it hard to believe that such a thing as magic existed and that someone he knew used it.

"Ok," Buffy said with authority as her mind ticked over; formulating a plan. "Willow, Xander, stay here." She ordered. "Who's ever controlling this demon may call and ask for a ransom. Give them anything they want."

Willow and Xander nodded in unison. "You got it." Xander spoke for them.

Buffy turned to face her lover who was still sitting on the couch; leaning back against it once again now that she was no longer sitting on his lap. "Angelus, you and I are going to the magic shop. Maybe they needed supplies." Angelus nodded his agreement and got up from the couch.

"I'll come with you." Riley spoke up when Buffy paused to gather her thoughts once again. Angelus had to fight back a growl of annoyance; his hands clenching into fists, before he relaxed them and took a deep breath. He'd be there every step of the way. There was no need to worry, Riley wouldn't be able to do anything to his girl whilst he was with her.

Buffy nodded her agreement as she looked around Giles condo, moving around the couch Riley was standing behind. "Uh, something silver…" She muttered as she walked towards Giles desk something silver catching her eye. Reaching for it she picked up the letter opener; giving it a small look over, before nodding her acceptance of her choice of weapon.

"A letter opener?" Riley asked surprised having expected her to choose something that looked much more like a weapon. "It's not very sharp." He added a little awkwardly as he felt Buffy and Angelus' eyes on him.

"Then I'll have to put some muscle behind it." Buffy said firmly, before she walked towards the broken in front door, Angelus following close behind her. Riley sighed to himself, running a hand through his hair. As much as he wanted to see Buffy in action once again, he just knew that Angelus was going to detract from his enjoyment of the experience. Taking a deep fortifying breath, Riley followed the two out of what was evidentially once of Buffy's friend's homes.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Spike sat at the bar of seedy bar Ethan and Giles had gotten drunk at the night before. Throwing back the shot that the waitress had set down in front of him. "Two of them." Spike continued with his description as he gave the waitress a small charming smile. "English like me, but older, less attractive. One of them gave you his number." At the end of the bar, sat with his flannel blanket wrapped around him once again; trying to hide as much of his demonic body as possible, as he watched Spike use the information he had given him to hopefully get what he needed from the waitress so that he could get his vengeance on Ethan Rayne and hopefully his body back.

The waitress shrugged. "I threw it out." She informed Spike, remembering the pair that he was talking about. It was too soon to forget the two of them. It wasn't very often that they got two drunk old Englishmen in this bar. "I mean, I took one look and saw that he was staying at the rat trap." She shuddered. "No thanks."

"Which rat trap?" Spike asked.

"The one by the highway. The Sunnydale Motor Inn." The waitress explained.

"Thank you." Spike said with a smile, wishing that the chip wasn't in his brain to make it worth asking the girl out at a later date… and feasting on her in more ways than one.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy kicked in the door to the magic shop; a sense of déjà vu taking over her for a moment as she remembered doing something almost exactly like this with Angelus before… except back then it had been Spike that had been with them and Angelus had still hated her… and had wanted nothing more than to see her suffer. She was glad that things had moved on for the better since then. She stepped briskly into magic shop, Angelus and Riley following after her. "Ok. Credit card slips, sales receipt. Help me look." She told them.

"You shouldn't have done that to the door." Riley muttered disapprovingly as he stared at the now broken door; a sure sign that someone had entered the shop. Something that The Initiative didn't like to do unless they had to… they were all about being unnoticed and unseen by the public as much as humanly possible.

"I don't have time to play by the rules tonight." Buffy said briskly as she walked around the counter, her preternaturally enhanced eyes easily seeing in the darkness.

"I have a master key. It opens every shop on Main Street." Riley explained, giving Buffy paused as she glanced over at Riley for a short moment, not sure that she liked that The Initiative would have the power to have something like that. Government Military outfit or not… they dealt with demons why would they need to have a master key to all the shops on Main Street.

Angelus scowled over at Riley as he leapt over the counter that Buffy had taken the time to walk around as he began searching under it. "Buffy's The Slayer, she doesn't need a master key to do her job." Angelus grumbled loud enough for Riley to hear. "Nor does she need to carry jacked up weapons to feel powerful." He muttered quieter, so that it merely sounded like a indistinguishable murmur to Riley's ears.

Buffy opened a drawer, ignoring the slight male testosterone fuelled pissing contest that was going on between the two men as she continued her search by starting to look through the receipts she found there. "I don't know what I'm looking for." Riley said after a moments silence, still feeling the heat staining his cheeks and he wondered once again what Buffy saw in the arrogant dark haired man that she was dating.

Buffy smiled coldly as she looked down at the receipt that she had discovered. "I do." She murmured drawing the two men's attention from what they were doing. Ripping the receipt from the others she dumped the rest back in the drawer and slammed it shut as a way to vent some of her rage. "Ethan Rayne." She practically snarled as she stared down at the name.

"Who's that?" Riley asked, looking between Buffy and Angelus, both of whom looked rather pissed in that moment.

Buffy slammed the receipt that had given Ethan Rayne away onto the counter table, a scowl still darkening her brow. "Professional bad guy. He's gotta be the guy that made the demon attack Giles." Buffy grumbled her hand going to her neck where a tattoo that bastard had put on her neck in an attempt to have her killed in his place. Buffy attempted a small smile as she placed a hand on Angelus' arm. "At least we know who we're looking for."

"And how we should deal with him." Angelus grumbled lowly,

Buffy squeeze his arm. "Maybe this time I'll get to hit him till he bleeds."

Angelus smirked. "I think you did that already."

Buffy shrugged. "I guess he's one of those guys you just love ta hit." Buffy frowned slightly as Riley picked up the receipt and pulled out his phone.

"Command, are you there?" He spoke into his phone.

"What are you doing?" Buffy asked puzzled and a little apprehensive.

Riley held up a finger, silently asking them to be patient and silent for a moment. "It's Agent Finn. I need a search. Local hotel registrations matching the name Ethan Rayne. R-A-Y-N-E. Call me back." He ordered, before he flipped it closed.

"You can do that?" Buffy asked a little impressed with the pull he had as a commando.

Riley shrugged glad that he'd impressed her. "It'll take a couple of minutes."

Buffy nodded. "Let's get in the car. Be ready to go." She ordered as she walked back around the counter, Angelus at her side as they headed towards the door.

Riley swallowed as he followed, not knowing what kind of reaction he was about to get. "Buffy," He called, causing both of his companions to stop and turn to look at him. "Earlier, when I talked to Professor Walsh, she gave me very specific orders." He said a little nervously.

"Yeah?" Buffy urged wanting to hurry up and get in the car.

"She said when we located the demon… I'm not supposed to bring you along." Riley admitted.

"Oh," Buffy said with a nonchalant shrug, before she turned and began making her way out the door once again.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Riley asked shocked as Buffy and Angelus both seemed to ignore the orders he'd been given.

Buffy turned to face him again, irritation beginning to show on her face. "I'm going to the car." She explained firmly, her expression determined.

"Buffy, I can't take you with me." Riley forced himself to say; orders where orders and as much as Maggie Walsh wanted to get more information about The Slayer; she didn't want to jeopardize their mission on someone they didn't know enough about.

Buffy gave him a look. "You're not taking me with you." She said firmly as she levelled a harsh stare at Riley. "I am going and I am letting you tag along with me." She said.

"Buffy, it really isn't your call. This is a military operation now." Riley tried to explain to her and almost audibly gulped at the cold steely look she gave him.

"Then call out the troops. Because nothing less than that is gonna stop me. This demon did something to Giles and I'm gonna kill it." She said stonily, before turning on her heel and marching out of the magic shop her voice trailing back to them. "Besides it's not your car!" She practically growled. Angelus gave Riley a superior smirk, before he turned and followed Buffy, more than just a little thrilled to have born witness to Buffy cutting Riley down even just a little. Riley sighed and followed, really having no choice in the matter.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Spike glanced from the road to Giles, the newly made demon growling almost constantly now, making him wonder just how much was still Giles and how much was the Faryl demon. "How ya feeling, mate?" He enquired.

"Like snapping necks until everyone is dead."

"Now that sounds like a Faryl demon. Good for you." Spike exclaimed as he turned his gaze back to the road. His gaze went to the rear view mirror as a set of bright headlights suddenly blared across his windshield. "Hey, picked up a tail." Spike muttered.

"Yes," Giles said agreeably the growl in his voice toned down again. "Just a little one. It hurts when I sit." Completely mistaking Spike's meaning.

Spike tossed Giles a look. "I mean someone is following us. Humvee, military."

Giles expression turned startled then somewhat angry. "Well speed up. Lose them." Giles commanded.

"I got it floored." Spike grumbled as he pressed his foot a little harder against the already floored gas pedal. "Why'd you buy this car?"

"Well, do something. If they catch us, we'll both end up in a lab!" Giles exclaimed anxiously.

"It's getting closer." Spike grumbled as he tightened his hands around the steering wheel, and hunched over the wheel slightly, trying to urge the small old car to go faster than it wanted to. Spike glanced up at the rear view mirror once again and bit back a curse as he saw another Humvee seemingly out of nowhere swerves in front of the first; much closer to the old car. That Spike had a distinct urge to kick to see if that could make it go any faster. "And it's got a friend!" Spike growled.

"Damn!" Giles growled angrily thrusting his arm towards the door, only to hit the window instead accidentally shattering the fragile glass.

"Oh, sure!" Spike growled exasperated. "Dismantle the getaway car. That'll scare them." He muttered.

"Then slow down and I'll jump out. They'll follow the car." Giles demanded with certainty.

"Hold on! These commandos. They're the same guys that are after me too…" Spike grumbled. "Maybe I want you around to split their attention a bit?" He said bluntly.

"I'll pay you another hundred dollars." Giles bargained a little desperately. Spike gave Giles a look trying to judge how serious the man was.

"Ooh, you better pay up when this is all done and dusted, mate!" Spike growled as he turned the wheel to turn a sharp right, causing the poor old car to screech once again as the gears grinded against each other. Giles opened the passenger door and allowed himself to tumble out of the car growling out a grunt as he hit the ground with a thud and immediately rolled out of the way. Quickly jumping to his feet Giles was up and running by the time the Humvees came driving past following after his little Citroen.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Ethan hurriedly moved about his room; hastily trying to pack his bag so that he could now get out of the town he'd come to wreak havoc on. He'd just stuffed the last of his shirts into his suitcase, when there was a loud crash on his door. Spinning to face just as another loud crash slammed against the door and this time, the door broke open and a seriously pissed demon stalked into his room angry growls rumbling from the demons snarling sneering lips. Ethan stared at the demon wide eyed, before he calmed slightly as he recognised his own handiwork. "Giles?" He asked only to get an angry growl in return. Giles far too angry to form words at this point as he stalked hulk-ishly towards him; his every step radiating violence. Ethan swallowed thickly seeing that Giles was too far gone into his rage to be easily talked down.

Ethan quickly backed up his hands coming up as if to ward his old friend off. "Now… it… it… calm down!" Ethan tried to coax nervously as he jumped up onto the bed in a vain attempt to get away from the demon Giles had become. "It's ok," Ethan tried to sooth. "Good Giles." He said as if speaking to an angry dog. Giles reached for him and Ethan swallowed a scream as he tried to jump off the bed and out of the way. He almost made it past the angry Giles, when he felt Giles strong hand grasp him and effectively halt his escape. "No! No! Don't kill me!" Ethan pleaded nervously.

Giles growled, not heeding a word his old friend said, too lost in the thrill of crushing… killing to want to pay any attention to the mans pleas. Grasping Ethan by the throat, he tightened his hand around the fragile flesh as he lifted his old friend off his feet. "I can't undo you if you kill me!" Ethan gasped out, his hands grasping at the one Giles had so firmly wrapped around his throat.

Giles growled angrily just before he flung Ethan across the room; where he crashed head first into a nightstand, shattering it into small pieces. Giles moved to go after him, full intent on crushing and killing the puny human that he was so vexed with. But at that moment Buffy rushed into the small apartment an angry look on her face as she took in the scene before her. Ethan who was clutching at his throat breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Buffy. "You've got to stop it! It killed Ripper and now it's trying to kill me!" He lied through his teeth, just wanting to save his skin and knowing that if Buffy knew that all this was his doing, she'd end up pummelling him… probably close to death.

Buffy scowled darkly, almost baring her teeth in anger at the demon that had supposedly killed Giles. "Don't let him go." She demanded more of Angelus then Riley as they stood with her just inside the doorway.

Not waiting for a reply as she stepped further into the room, Giles took a step towards her only for Buffy to execute a vicious spinning kick that knocked Giles back against the wall. "What did you do to him? What did you do?" She growled, almost shouted in her anger as she glared at the Faryl demon that had taken her father figure from her.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Spike turned the wheel sharply so as to make the corner, forcing the poor car to fishtail around a corner, hoping to lose the two Humvees if he took unexpected turns. Spike took another sharp turn in the opposite direction to the last the grin on his face giving way to the fact that he had begun to enjoy this car chase since letting Giles out of the car. This time the Humvee that had taken the lead lost control of the powerful vehicle causing the Humvee to spin out, forcing the second Humvee to screech to a halt before it rear ended the vehicle in front. Spike bounced up and down in his seat whilst keeping his foot on the gas pedal. His eyes focusing on the rear view mirror, taking in the fact that there was now no Humvees chasing after them. "You just try and stop me, you stupid jar…" Spike was cut off as whilst not paying attention he crashed into the side of the building.

Spike forced open the driver's side door and staggered out, a little shaken by the crash not having expected it. "I can kill demons. I can crash cars… Things are looking up!" Spike shouted in a way that was almost triumphant in the crashing wave of his excitement in the chase. Hearing shouts coming from behind him, Spike muttered a vulgar curse and hurried on his way abandoning the now unusable car as he moved swiftly into the night, seeking to disappear now far quicker than ever, not fancying a foot chase half so much as he had enjoyed the car chase; the bloody bastard had too long of a range with their weapons.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles charged Buffy and shoved her against the wall. Riley moved to step in, only for Angelus to force him back with only a single movement of his arm. "You say you love her, but you will not help her. What kind of boyfriend are you?" Riley demanded to know as he glared at Angelus, rather put out that it had been so easy for the other man to restrain him.

"I'm man enough to know when she needs my help and when she doesn't. See." Angelus practically growled in an annoyance, not at all appreciating his questioning him on his affections for his mate to be. Riley turned his gaze back to the battle to see Buffy retaliate by throwing a hard right, throwing the demon off of her with that single blow.

Angelus and Riley's attention where diverted from Buffy's battle with the rampaging demon by Ethan who came charging at them in a bid to escape repercussions when the battle was over. Riley caught unawares took the full weight of Ethan's blow. Angelus snarled not for the hit delivered to the boy, but at Ethan as he tried to throw a sloppy punch at him. Angelus caught the blow easily and wrapped a hand around Ethan's throat. "Help!" Ethan shrieked, his gaze going to Riley who was straightening up from the unexpected blow. "He's ah, he's a…" Angelus tightened his hand around Ethan's neck his eyes flashing amber in warning at the frightened man who grew terrified at the clear threat in the vampire's eyes if he so much as even tried to finish that sentence.

"He's what?" Riley asked curiously.

Ethan swallowed thickly, the task taking more effort than usual due to Angelus' hand clutching tight in warning around his throat. "N-nothing!" Ethan spluttered out. Angelus sneered at him and threw him away from him so that the man sprawled near his feet.

"Get up again and find me in a fowler mood than before." Angelus warned as Ethan stared up at him from the floor as he rubbed his throat. Feeling thoroughly defeated.

Ethan turned his attention to the fight that Buffy was waging with the demon Giles had become as Buffy landed a high kick to the demons chest, knocking her opponent back once again. "You're only going to make him angry." Ethan cautioned as he heard Giles growl angrily as he shifted on the floor of his apartment, not quite yet willing to give up all possibility of escape. Buffy ignored Ethan as she continued to wage battle with the demon that stood accused of killing her father figure. Not caring that the demon continued to get up to accept its punishment from her as she continued to knock it back down to the floor enjoying every kick and punch she landed against the creature. At that moment Ethan scrambled completely back up to his feet in a second bid for freedom. He'd barely moved a step though when Angelus tripped him up sending him flying onto his back with a painful thud. "I warned you." Angelus murmured threateningly as he placed his foot against his neck, effectively pinning him to the ground as to struggle would be to suffocate himself. "That I don't have the patience for you right now."

"Don't tell me that the mighty Angelus cares for old Ripper." Ethan wheezed and regretted speaking as Angelus placed more pressure against his neck with his the dirty sole of his shoe. Ethan followed the vampire's gaze awkwardly and made a sound of understand. "Ah, of course not, The Slayer."

Angelus barely restrained a growl. "Shut up, Ethan, or I'll put my boot through your neck. Then we'll see just how much you can talk then." He threatened.

"Is that really necessary?" Riley asked a little concerned, the man was human after all; one of them.

Angelus glanced over at the commando, his brown eyes filled with distaste. "You don't know him like I do. He tried to have Buffy killed once." Riley's eyes widened slightly and in that moment Ethan knew that any sympathy he might get from that front was now gone.

"Well, it was only small trifling thing." Ethan tried to explain away, only for Angelus' foot to press down harder against his throat. "Yes. W-well you sa-aved her that's the main thing, old chap."

Buffy grasped a foldable stand that was supplied by the cheap motel; that Faith had once called home, she swung it at Giles as he charged at her, his head lowered so that his horns where aimed at her. Unintentionally Buffy's blow with the foldable stand got the demons head caught in the leather straps; using it to her advantage she swung the demon around she threw him to the other side of the small apartment. Buffy moved to press her attack, when Giles freed himself from the leather, ramming Buffy under the chin with the curve of his horn as he straightened up, sending Buffy to the floor with a painful thump. Giles growled down at her and bent to press his own attack, only for Buffy to lift her legs and catch his legs in a scissor lock that unbalanced Giles and sent him to the ground. Before Giles could reorientate himself, his anger having been knocked out him during that last fall, Buffy left up and straddled him the letter opener clutched firmly in hand as she stared down at him with anger. "This is for Giles!" She growled at him.

"For me?" Giles queried just as Buffy raised the dull blade with both hands; high above her head, before swinging it down with all the force she could muster. Giles eyes opened wide in response to the pain, his gaze meeting Buffy's.

Buffy's own eyes widened in shock her anger disappearing as fast as it had come. "Oh, God! Giles!" She exclaimed in horror, believing that she had killed him as she hurriedly pulled out the knife like that could reverse the effects of having shoved silver into his heart. She frowned down at him as he made odd grunting and growling sounds. "Oh, God! Giles! Giles! I'm so… I'm so sorry! Please don't die!" Buffy pleaded with him.

"Actually I feel quite well. Except for the rage." Giles tried to tell her without success as he was still speaking Frayl.

Buffy breathed a sigh of relief as it seemed that Giles wasn't actually dying like she had feared. "I think he's ok." Buffy told the other occupants in the room. "I," Buffy trailed off as she took the bloodied letter opener in both her hands. "Is this thing real silver?" She asked Giles, even though she knew at this moment she wouldn't get an answer, but seeing as he wasn't dying it couldn't be real silver. Looking up from the knife she turned a glaring gaze to Ethan who gulped and tried to wiggle out from underneath Angelus' foot to no avail. "You-You tried to have me kill Giles!" She exclaimed angrily.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

A fair while later Riley stood guarding the door as he spoke into his cell phone. Whilst inside the small apartment Ethan sat cross-legged on the floor, the remnants of a spell just completed in front of him, doing his best to ignore the glaring look he was receiving from Buffy who was holding him firmly by the back of the collar eager to do him more damage than the rather painful blow that had spilt his lip. His chin rested glumly on his fist as he watched Giles fiddling with one of his shirts in front of a mirror. "I really got to learn to just do the damage and get out of town." He muttered. "It's the stay and gloat that gets me every time."

"Well, you never were the brightest fellow, were you?" Angelus grumbled his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the old sorcerer with hawk eyes. It wasn't just he feared he might say in the presence of the army lacky who had just finished his call, but the fact that he was indeed a wielder of magic… magic had never held much good in store for him before, no reason to think that it would start now; especially not with a sorcerer of chaos and black magicks.

Buffy nudged Ethan none to gently with her knee as she released his cuff and walked over to Giles who was standing in front of the mirror hung on the wall as he continued to fiddle with the horrid cheap silk shirt that Ethan tended to favour. "You ok?" Buffy asked as she came up beside him.

"Oh um, uh, embarrassed, mostly." He admitted. "Ethan's wardrobe's not helping any." He grumbled as he finally dropped his hands from Ethan's shirt considering it a lost caused to try and feel comfortable in the damnable thing. And turned to face her a curious look in his eyes. "Uh, how did you know it was me?"

"Your eyes," Buffy explained, only to elaborate as Giles gave her a confused look. "You're the only person in the world that can look that annoyed with me." She said with an affectionate smile. Giles returned her smile, rather touched that she had managed to figure it out in such a way.

The moment was broken as Ethan lumbered to his feet, taking a small step away from Angelus who had shifted in response to his movement. "Is this gonna go on much longer? I'd rather like to be going." He said.

Buffy turned to face him her arms crossed over her chest as she frowned with intense dislike of the man she was looking at. "Any why would I let you go?" She asked.

Ethan straightened himself up. "Well, maybe because you have no choice." He said pompously. "I'm human, you can't kill me. What's a Slayer going to do to me?" He asked.

"Oh, I'm sure I could think of something." Angelus assured him from where he stood only the slightest hint of malice in his tone, but it was enough to make Ethan shiver and gulp, his pompous air diminishing completely.

Before anyone could say anything else, Riley stepped up behind Ethan with two tough looking MP's alongside him, drawing Ethan's attention and he spluttered wordless as he was cuffed by the two MP's without so much as batting eye from the two that where now gripping him on either arm. "By the authority of the US military, you're being taken into custody pending a determination of your status." Riley turned his gaze from the shocked Ethan to the MP's. "Take it from here." He ordered and the two nodded and began forcing the still shell shocked Ethan from the room.

Buffy exchanged a happy look with Giles, both of them enjoying the sight of Ethan being taken away. "They'll uh, take Mr. Rayne to a secret detention facility in the Nevada desert. I'm sure he'll be rehabilitated in no time." He said with a nod, before looking from Buffy to Angelus for a moment hesitating, before taking his leave of the room.

Giles cleared his throat, unable to keep the smile from curling up his lips. "Uh, if you don't mind, I'm just gonna… go and watch them manhandle him into a vehicle." He murmured and swiftly left the room in order not to miss the sight.

Buffy sighed her shoulders slumping slightly and she leaned back into Angelus' chest as she felt him come up behind her. "I almost killed, Giles tonight… I almost lost him." She murmured.

"But you didn't." Angelus assured her softly, his mouth dropping a kiss into her hair.

"Yeah, but only thanks to the fact that Giles letter opener wasn't actually silver like I thought." Buffy looked down at it again. "Who'd have thought that Giles would buy a knock off?" Buffy looked towards the door. "Well, The Initiative was kind of helpful tonight, weren't they?"

Angelus growled lowly. "You aren't con…"

"No." Buffy assured him. "I was just saying… that they were a little helpful tonight… if not a bit bossy. I didn't like the way he tried to order me off… like the demons were his thing…"

"They'll soon learn that The Slayer isn't someone they can push around." Angelus murmured and Buffy nodded her agreement as she continued to lean against his strong chest.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy gave a little yawn as she walked along the campus ground alone, half wishing now that she had just decided to go back to Angelus' mansion with him… but she had wanted the chance at a goodnights sleep. Something she wouldn't get with Angelus in his bed… Buffy whirled around in at the noise of a stick breaking under the weight of a foot just behind her, her body tensing for an attack, only to relax at seeing Riley standing there. "Sorry," He apologised. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, it's alright. I'm still just a little jumpy from the nights events." She assured him as she turned and began to walk again, Riley falling into step behind her.

"So," Riley began breaking the silence once again. "Have you given anymore thought to coming into The Initiative?" He enquired.

Buffy paused in her stride again as she turned to face him; tucking some hair behind her ear. "Uh, yeah… about that." She murmured apologetically. "I've decided that it probably isn't such a good idea. I mean… not to say that it isn't a super good operation… it's just I'm The Slayer… I'm used to you know leading… and so are the people you work for."

Riley swallowed thickly, he'd really been hoping that that wouldn't be her answer… he'd hoped that he could find a way to do this in a much gentler way… perhaps even get her consent to do at least some of what the Professor wanted from her… after all before she had seemed keen to learn from them as they were to learn from her. "Are you sure? It's just I'm certain that we could learn a lot from each other. I mean tonight, you were amazing!" He praised. "You were like a one woman army… you did things tonight that it would take a highly trained assault team to handle."

Buffy looked ahead of her as she bit her lower lip. "It was just another day on the job for me… although working with you was a change."

"Well, I enjoyed working with you tonight." Riley admitted.

"Are you sure? Cause it kind of seemed like I was getting in your way a little there… what with your orders and all."

"Ah, well that… I'm sure it's not that big of a deal… Professor Walsh just has to get to understand you a little better, before she'll fully trust you. We have as much at stake as you do." Buffy looked down at her feet for a moment highly doubting that they had as much to lose as her… they had no idea. "Are you sure I can't change your mind?" Riley asked, hopefully.

"I'm sorry, but no." Buffy said firmly, pausing in her stride when Riley did.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Riley muttered under his breath, his hand delving into his pocket, his hand closing about the machine that he knew that he much now use. Buffy gave him a quizzical look. A look that turned to shock as he took a quick step towards her, and in the next instant all she knew was pain as the electrical current from the stun gun hit her with full force making her crumple to her knees in its wake.

Buffy looked up at him to see his surprised look that she wasn't out for the count. "What the hell?!" She growled as she struggled back up to her feet, haphazardly block Riley's next strike with the stun gun he had used on her. Her body feeling sluggish after the shocking burn… the pain of it pulsing through the spot it had struck on her body. Buffy dodge, before stepping in to land a blow, only for Riley to manage to hit her with the stun gun again this time in her side and she cried out and crumpled again, this time struggling to regain her feet.

Riley swallowed as she looked up at him with betrayed, hurt hazel eyes. "I'm sorry," He apologized to her. "It's nothing personal… just orders." He told her, believing almost whole heartedly that that bit of information would make everything ok between them. Before struck her with the stun gun again, sending her to the ground her eyes closed.

Buffy's last thought before unconsciousness claimed her was that Angelus had been right all along. Riley stared down at her for a moment before he reached for his cell phone. "Alright move in." He commanded, before he hung up the phone. As he bent down to scoop Buffy's deceptively slight frame up off the cold grass, his team closed in about him, ready to walk with him to the base.

"That took longer than expected." Forrest commented, feeling rather glad that it had taken more than one strike of the stun gun to take little Miss Summers down.

"It is rather amazing." Graham agreed. "Anyone else would have been incapacitated by one." Forrest rolled his eyes, but remained silent as did Riley as they walked towards the more secret entrance of the base, not wanting to accidentally be seen by others housed in Lorrell house.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Inside his mansion Angelus frowned deeply a hand coming up to rub at his chest, right over his un-beating heart; a sense that something terrible had just happened, but… it had to be his imagination, the danger was over tonight, Buffy had gone to her dorm with Willow… she was no doubt giggling with her right at this moment as the prepared for bed… Angelus' hands clenched into fists… wishing that he could see her right now… and know for certain… Angelus gave his head a shake and lowered his hand from his chest. _'Everything was fine.'_ He tried to assure himself as he tried to place the feeling from mind. Buffy was more than capable of taking care of herself… so there was no reason for him to feel like something had just happened to her!

Angelus thumped a fist against the mantle of the fireplace that now just held ash from the fire that had warmed its hearth earlier. The frown still darkening his brow, in that particular moment he wished that he was mated to his petite blond Slayer so that he could feel her inside his mind… and know for a fact that she was alright… Angelus growled lowly his eyes flashing amber and he whirled away from the fireplace and began pacing around the large hall that he was in as he tried to assure himself that the feeling was nothing more than his imagination… it had to be… Buffy had gone home to bed… to sleep… she had to be safe!

**A/N:** Alright, finally I have finished the long… long chapter! I hope that you enjoyed and the changes that I have made. And I apologise for not going into detail with all the smutty scenes, but I figured that it wasn't really necessary after already giving you two in one lol. I hope that you all enjoyed it :)


	13. Chapter 13 the I in team

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of the characters mentioned in the cannon.

**A/N:** OMG. Yes readers your eyes aren't deceiving you it is actually a new chapter for Dark Release. A huge thank you goes to all the people who reviewed last chapter and everyone who have waited so patiently for this chapter to be completed. I hope it lives up to your expectations.

**CHAPTER 13**

**The I In Team**

"I implore you, Neisa, blessed goddess of chance and fortune," Willow chanted with her eyes closed as she sat comfortably on Xander's folded-up sofa bed in his basement. "Heed my call. Send to me the heart I desire." She prayed, her hands clasped in front of her as she held five cards in front of her.

"You know, magic at the poker table qualifies as cheating." He informed his long-time friend as he sat across from Anya on a large bean bag. The three of them sitting around the coffee table that was loaded up with their poker chips and bowls filled with potato chips and pretzels and cans of soda for them to snack on whilst they played.

"That wasn't magic." Willow denied the accusation. "I was praying. Two please." She requested and Xander dealt her two cards.

"Five." Anya requested, causing Xander to give a little sigh.

"Ahn, I keep telling you, fours the max and only if you have an ace." Xander explained once again.

"Ok, four." Anya requested as she shifted agitatedly on her own large bean bag.

Xander recognising the signs gave her a look. "Let's see the ace." He demanded, causing Anya to pout, before she sighed.

She sighed in annoyance. "Three." Anya mumbled as she discarded the three cards that were the most useless to her. "What a stupid game." She grumbled as she accepted her three new cards from Xander. "All these rules just to win little plastic disks."

"Chips, they're called chips. They represent money. Since none of us has any money to represent money. But that's gonna change once my merchandise hits the street." Xander explained as he pointed towards the boxes that he had stacked up on his work bench; his expression pleading with his girlfriend and best friend to ask him about the boxes as he turned his head back towards them.

"Hmm!" Willow murmured through her mouthful of pretzel. "What-cha got in the boxes, drugs?" She asked after she had swallowed down her mouthful. Willow's carefree expression turned serious. "It's not drugs, is it, Xander?" She asked him suddenly scared that her best friend had resorted to drugs to earn money.

"Not drugs." Xander assured her as he got to his feet, the bean bag threatening to make him fall back down into it as the hand he'd used to help push himself up sank deeply into the bean bag. Managing to keep his balance he walked over to his work bench and grabbed the closest box and started back towards his bean bag. "You are looking at the new local distributor for Boost Bars. 'The natural food bar that provides a nutritional energy boost for active, health-conscious people.'" He quoted as he sat back down on his bean bag. "Want one?" He asked hopefully as he opened up the box and took out one of the bars.

Willow couldn't help but make a face at the offer. "No. Thanks." She declined. "Those things usually taste… kind of tasteless. And then leave a bad after-tastelessness." She explained her nose crinkled with her distaste.

"Well, don't let the healthy scare you." Xander prompted unwilling to give up just yet. "Check out these ingredients." He flipped up the tab at the back of the bar to reveal the ingredients. "See?" He pointed to it. "Loaded with fatty goodness," He assured her.

"Come on," Anya suddenly spoke up unable to contain her impatience any longer as the two continued to talk instead of focusing on the game. "Somebody bet already. I got three 'K' cards." She informed them, hoping to encourage them into continuing the game so that she could win. Willow and Xander looked at her for a moment, before sharing a look themselves, both wondering how it was possible that Anya had won yet again. Almost in unison Willow and Xander dropped their cards down onto the table; folding their hand, their hands unable to beat three kings. Anya smiled happily recognising the sign of defeat as she leaned forward and began sliding her spoils across the table towards her and her already large pile.

Xander gathered the cards back together and began the task of shuffling the cards for their next game. "Wish the Buff could've made it. This three-hand poker is not quiet the game."

Willow shrugged not overly concerned by Buffy's absence. "Guess she's hanging out with Angelus. You know how it's been like between them. So, it's like having a spanking new boyfriend for her. And you know how that is."

Anya who hadn't been paying that much attention to the flow of conversation as she stacked her newly acquired chips, but had caught the occasional word. "Yes, we've enjoyed spanking." She spoke up with an off-handed air, not seeing anything wrong with what she had revealed.

The cards flew from Xander's hands in his extreme shock at Anya's embarrassing overshare! He gaped at his girlfriend and best friend a hot blush staining his cheeks. He turned his gaze to his girlfriend and tried to say something to her; to chastise her for revealing something else about their private life, but found that in that moment he couldn't find the words he needed to do so; his embarrassment was to strong. Turning his gaze from his girlfriend he tried to gather his flustered wits about himself. "Well," Xander tried to begin, before he coughed to buy himself more time to think of something to say. "The thing is… what about this whole Initiative thing? Am I the only one with a big floating question mark over his head about Buffy getting involved with those guys?"

Willow's expression turned thoughtful as she gratefully accepted the abrupt change in subject. Any subject would be better than the one that they had landed on. "Well, they do seem to fall into the 'good guy' camp." She murmured a little tentatively. "I mean they are anti-demon." Anya glared in her general direction and Willow attempted to give her a reassuring look. "Probably pro-ex demon."

"Maybe." Anya allowed. "I choose to feel threatened." She murmured firmly as she huddled into her bean bag; feeling a sudden chill. One thing was for sure, if she was Buffy she wouldn't be trying getting close to The Initiative. She'd be running in the opposite direction.

Xander reached across the coffee table pushing the scattered cards back towards him so that he could attempt to shuffle the deck once again. "And why not?" He said with a supportive nod. "There's still heaps we don't know about these commandos. What exactly are they up to?" He asked rhetorically.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy groaned as she groggily drifted towards consciousness, the first thing she became aware of was the burning pain in her side and in her neck! The next thing she became aware of was that it was cold where ever she was and that there was an unfamiliar smell… almost like a hospital… but slightly different. The next was that the inside of her eyelids looked red… the kind of red that one saw when they closed their eyes when the sun was shining down on them. Forcing herself to open her eyes; eyes that felt heavy and gritty. The effort didn't last long as they closed again almost immediately at being assaulted by the bright lights that lit up the room she was in; the lights bright enough to hurt her eyes. Trying again this time slower and more cautious, Buffy squinted and slowly the lights came into focus. Lights that she didn't recognise, sitting up she winced as her head, neck and shoulder throbbed angrily along with her side.

Raising a hand she rubbed at her neck winced as her fingers came into contact with two raised lumps that were hot to the touch and sent a strong flare of pain through her neck; pain that made the pounding in her head worse. Looking down she saw that she was sitting up on a small pallet like bed that had been jammed up against a white wall. Turning her gaze from the strange bed she found herself on to her side where she could feel the hot burning pain, she saw what appeared to be burns around two small holes in her shirt. Cautiously Buffy lifted the shirt away from the wound she was sure lay beneath, lifting her shirt up she angled herself so that she could see the damage done. And she winced as she saw the two angry red marks that decorated her skin. "Geez, I didn't think stun guns caused this much damage." She muttered as she let her shirt fall back down, a dark frown pulling down her brow. "Damn, Riley." She grumbled through gritted teeth, she couldn't believe that he had gotten the best of her and now she was stuck in this room that was no doubt somewhere deep in the bowels of The Initiative.

Angelus really had been right all along! She should have listened to him from the very beginning, maybe then she wouldn't have been caught so easily by Riley's surprise attack. Riley, she hadn't thought Riley capable of doing something like that to another person. To just suddenly outright attack them, even on orders. There was a line; there always had to be a line! But then where does the line really begin when your part of a military operation that was ok with preforming experiments on other people? Buffy's hands clenched into fists as she slid her legs over the side of the bed, the wood biting into the backs of her thighs cruelly. She turned an angry gaze around the cell that she had been thrown into whilst she'd been blacked out; taking in the empty white wall and the single metal door.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Standing in front of the monitors, Riley stood with his arms crossed over his chest, the burden that had been weighing heavily on him lifting in his relief at finally seeing Buffy up and moving around after hours of lying unconscious on that small bed. He uncrossed his arms as he watched Buffy slowly get up off the bed and begin to walk the room Walsh had ordered her put in. It was a balm for him to see her up and about, for hours he had feared that the second blast from the stun gun had been too much, despite the fact that the first hadn't taken her down like it was supposed to. Her face turned up to the camera and Riley felt himself turn his head away from it, before he had known that he would. A feeling that he had never felt before in his life settling deep in his stomach, making it feel like the bottom had fallen out of it. Making it extremely difficult for him to stand still; especially for as long as he had been watching the monitors, waiting to see Buffy wake up and prove that he hadn't sent her into a coma.

Forrest walked up behind Riley and looked at the monitors that his best friend had been staring at from the moment he had put the dratted woman into the cell. "So, The Slayer freak is finally awake." He commented surprising Riley, who hadn't noticed his approach.

"Buffy's not a freak, Forrest." Riley corrected calmly as he turned his gaze to his friend, glad for the small distraction from the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach and the screen he was watching Buffy in. "She is just an extraordinary girl." He said feelingly.

"Phfft." Forrest muttered disbelievingly. "Right, that's why Walsh ordered her locked up. Do you really think that a girl that has more strength than the ugly freaks that we deal with every day is any less a monster?"

Riley scowled at his friend, anger at Forrest's callous words. "Buffy isn't a monster, Gates."

Forrest raised his hands in a mock surrender, not wanting to get into an argument with Riley over a girl he definitely didn't deem worthy of it. "Alright, whatever you say." He clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, let's go get you something it eat… and perhaps a shave, before we get you in front of Walsh for the reaming she's been wanting to give you from the moment you let that little girl tag along on that Warlock mission."

Riley swallowed thickly, not at all looking forward to the meeting Walsh had been trying to pull him in for… an order he had been putting off whilst he waited in front of the monitor; waiting for Buffy to wake up and ease the feeling inside of him. And her waking had eased it; the ache inside of him, only for the ache to be replaced with something else that was equally unpleasant. Riley swallowed thickly again, his gaze going back to the monitor and he winced in sympathy as he saw Buffy get shocked by the electric strong electric current that was guarding the door, preventing her from using her incredible strength and skills to open the door. Forrest rolled his eyes and grabbed Riley by both his shoulders and began steering him away from the monitors Walsh had had set up. "Come on, you've seen that she's alright. So quit gawking at the girl already and get some food in you."

Riley allowed himself to be steered away, but still he couldn't help, but looked back over his shoulder at the monitor one last time to get one last look at Buffy through the small black and white screen.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy let out a cry as she hit the ground, the electric current over the surface of the door startling her. It really shouldn't have though, they were a high-tech military group, that used first class weapons, why wouldn't they use electricity to keep their captives subdued in their cages. She'd never thought that she would be in one of them though… and nor did this cage look anything like Spike had described aside from the annoyingly bright lights and the white walls… he'd said that there had been a wall of glass that had been protected by a powerful electrical current. Buffy slowly got back up to her feet and rubbed her stinging hand as she glared at the door. "Damn it!" She growled under her breath, her anger growing with each ache her body was feeling. "Damn it!" She growled again, with more heat in her voice; her hand curling into a fist, before she swung out and punched the wall. Punching it hard enough to make the image displayed on the monitor to shake and snow out of a moment, before the image came back and the smallest of cracks appeared in the tile that had been built to keep demons cooped up in their cages.

She stood like that for a long moment, her fist resting against the wall, her head hanging as for a brief moment her anger gave way to fear and despair. "Angelus…" She whispered. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you sooner." She murmured, hoping that by some miracle that he would hear her. as she couldn't help, but wonder if she would ever see him again… _'They preform experiments demons… what would they do to her… what had they been planning to do to her all along.'_ "Angelus really was right… I am naïve."

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Angelus snarled as he paced agitatedly back and forth across the dorm room Buffy shared with Willow; waiting anxiously for Buffy to walk back through that door… proving the horrible feeling that he had been feeling since the night before was wrong! Hell he'd even take seeing Willow walk through the door, for she'd at the very least be able to tell him where she was and confirm that his girl… his mate was indeed alright! But he had been waiting in this dorm room for hours now; waiting with growing agitation for one or both to walk in through the door and set the horrible feeling he'd been stuck with to rest! Hours had past, each second crawling by like an infernal eternity. And each time he decided to leave the room to search for Buffy, he was stopped by the fear that he'd end up missing her. That after so long, she'd be on her way home and he might miss her; spend hours searching for her, only to find out later that she had been safely at home sleeping.

Angelus growled, bearing his teeth as his upper lip curled up into a snarl. If only he could really believe that that would happen. That Buffy really was just out hanging with her friends… except… something told him that that wasn't the case! Angelus clenched his hands into fists as he spun around once again, his eyes landing on the corded telephone and his fingernails dug into the palms of his hands, feeling his agitation and irritation grow knowing that the phone was useless to him… Buffy didn't have a mobile to be contacted on! He growled again, before he threw himself back down onto the bed Buffy claimed as her own. "Fuck!" He cursed, as he ran his hands roughly through his hair. He hated feeling so damned useless, knowing deep within himself that Buffy needed his help and having no clue where she was! "Fuck!" He cursed again. "Let it be my imagination! Let her be alright. Let her walk through that door any moment!" He murmured… almost prayed; prayed for the first time in his life… human or demon.

A strange hot burning sensation pricked stingingly at the backs of his eyes, the strength of it forcing him to close his eyes firmly in an attempt to ease the strange feeling… a feeling he had only felt once before in his life during a ballet that had moved even him deep enough for tears… but the salty liquid refused to fall from his eyes. "You better be alright, Buff." His hands tightened further so that his knuckles turned white. "Or I swear, I'll tear this world you love so much to bloody ruins!" He promised darkly. And he already knew who he would start with! A look crossing his face that was so dark that anyone that knew who he really was would be shaking in terror.

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Riley stood with his back ramrod straight, his hands clasped behind his back as he stood before Walsh who was looking at him with a narrowed disapproving gaze. "So, she swaggers in and the rules get tossed out the window, is that it?"

"No, Ma'am." Riley swallowed at the raised eyebrow he was being given by his superior. "That is, it wasn't my intention to disobey a direct order. Buffy… that is The Slayer refused to be left behind and even went so far as to say that she would go on without me. In light of the circumstances I deemed it best to stick close to her and monitor all activity as best as I could."

Walsh continued to stare at him with hard disapproving eyes for a moment longer, before it softened somewhat. "Very well, I accept your reasoning. The Slayer is an unknown beast. You made the right call in sticking close to her. You have done well, Agent Finn." Riley let out a soft breath of relief.

Walsh closed her clipboard as she once again pinned him with a stern gaze. "Now what excuse will you give for waiting so long to obey a direct order?" She asked sternly.

Riley couldn't help shifting on his feet as embarrassment filled him. "I apologize for my delay. I had feared that I may have over done it when bringing in Bu… The Slayer… and wanted to stay by the monitors until I had seen that she was unharmed."

Walsh gave Riley a look. "I believe that you care for Ms. Summers perhaps more than you should, Agent Finn." Riley flushed. "Lord, spare me college boys in love." She grumbled. "See that you remember where your loyalty lies, Agent Finn." Walsh ordered, before she turned to the locked door that they were standing in front of.

Riley swallowed thickly as he watched Walsh turn away from him, obviously dismissing him as he gathered the courage to call her back. "Professor Walsh?" He called, and swallowed again as she turned back towards him a somewhat confused look on her face, Riley never having done anything so presumptuous as calling her back after having been given an order. Riley himself was feeling rather uncomfortable about it; it went against everything he had been taught to question a superior. "We aren't going to treat, Buffy badly, are we?"

Walsh forced her expression to remain unaffected by her subordinate's question. "Of course not," She replied, swiftly… perhaps a little to swiftly; not that Riley noticed to taken up in his relief at Walsh's reply to take not of anything suspicious in her manner. "We aren't monsters, Riley. We just need to learn more about her. It is just a great pity that she chose to take this path."

"So… we'll be releasing her then?" Riley asked hopefully, wanting to set his heavy heart and bottomless stomach at ease.

Walsh gave him an annoyed look. "Yes, Agent Finn." She lied. "Just as soon as we've learnt what we can from her. I'm sure that she knows a great deal more about the demons we must deal with in our line of work than we do. So any and all information she can give us is valuable."

Riley's shoulders sagged with relief. "Thank you, Professor." He murmured gratefully.

Walsh kept her composure as she looked at the man that she almost considered her own son. "Honestly, Riley anyone would think that I had sprouted horns." She attempted to tease, but her expression to strict to allow Riley to even crack a smile at it. "I assure you that I mean Ms. Summers no harm." Riley nodded and stepped away, finally following the dismal Walsh had given him earlier. Walsh watched him go for a short moment a slightly concerned expression on her face, before she sighed and turned once again to the door that she was standing in front of. Sliding her necessary ID card into the slot beside the door to open it, she stepped on through making sure that door shut after her, before she walked slightly on down the hall to another door that was as equally secured.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow sat alone in the Rocket Café a coffee warming her hands as she sat at the table. Wishing that the empty chair across from her had Buffy in it; she could use her company right about now. After having spent the entire night with Xander and Anya; listening to Anya talk casually about their sex life whilst Xander tried to get it through her head that it wasn't ok to talk about it in front of company… of course Buffy had Angelus now… so it was just her now. Just her that didn't have a special someone in her life. That one little fact made her feeling lonely all over again, made her feel the loss of Oz all over again. Taking a huge gulp of her coffee to chase the cold loneliness away; as she swallowed and the warmth filled her once again her mind suddenly turned to Tara and she could help, but smile as she thought of the shy nervous Wiccan that she was getting to know. _'Perhaps after my coffee I'll go see if she wants to hang out for a bit.'_ Willow thought, just before a sudden hurried movement caught her attention out of the corner of her eye and she stiffened with a sudden horrible feeling as she saw Angelus marching through the cafeteria. His stride filled with a determined purpose.

As if sensing her gaze on him, his head turned slightly and his gaze met hers. The moment their gazes touched, Willow felt the coldness that she had just chased away with a large gulp of coffee returned with a vengeance, but this time it wasn't out of loneliness… it was… dread… but dread of what she couldn't be one hundred precent certain. The first thing that came to mind was dread of him as he changed course to come towards her; elbowing through the students that refused to get out of his way as he moved determinedly towards her. But as she stared at him frozen for the moment to her seat, her mug of coffee still wrapped in her hands, she didn't think that he planned to do her harm… despite how scary she found the look in his brown eyes. That feeling however didn't prevent her from jumping and spilling some of her coffee over her hands, forcing her to set the mug down hastily so that she could wipe the scolding liquid off her hands with the napkins she had been provided with for the meal she had bought herself a little earlier, when Angelus slammed his hands down on the table.

"Geez, Angelus!" She grumbled as she wiped at her hands that where still stinging from the scolding liquid. "Why do you feel the need to scare the bee-geez-y out of people?"

"Where is she?!" Angelus asked, ignoring Willow's comment; something that he would have seized upon under normal circumstances, but in this moment giving the red head grief was the last thing on his mind. Wanting instead to find out something… anything that would alleviate the worry he felt. A worry that had become a certainty as the morning hours ticked over into the afternoon and neither woman had made an appearance in the dorm room. And now seeing Willow sitting on her own in the campus café, it made him feel something close to desperation.

Willow looked at him in surprise, not needing him to elaborate further, her heart beating uncomfortably in her chest as she met the wildness in his dark eyes. "Uh… I thought that she was with you..." She admitted slowly. Angelus scowled at her, his hands clenching into fists as he straightened up from where he had been leaning over the table. "I haven't seen her since we spilt up at Giles' the other day."

"Damn!" Angelus cursed under his breath as he stepped away from the table. _'They got her!'_ He thought with a certainty. There could be no other explanation for why no one had seen her and for the horrid feeling that he had been plagued with… and if the horrible feeling was anything to go by… they had had her since the other night… not long after Buffy had headed off for her dorm… _'I knew that I should have gone with her!'_ He thought with aggravation. He had been stupid to believe that they would just let her go…

"Angelus, what is it?" Willow asked, really rather surprised at the depth of emotion she could see crossing the vampire's face. "What do you think has happened to Buffy?" She questioned, her body tensing as his reaction amplified her own worry for her friend. And she couldn't help, but wish that she had put more effort into trying to find her friend the other night when they had decided to gather at Xander's to play cards… if only they'd had the courage to visit Angelus last night in an attempt to find Buffy… then they would have known! And she wouldn't just be finding out that her friend was missing now! But… none of them… not even Anya had wanted to disturb Angelus, no matter how amiable he had been in recent months.

Angelus glanced down at her, his brown eyes flashing at her with a cold annoyance, before he turned on his heel and began marching away. Heading towards the exit once again, now of the firm opinion that stopping to question Willow had been a complete waste of his time; all it had done was confirm what he already knew. He could have already been halfway to The Ex-Watcher's apartment. Willow; forgetting completely about her mostly untouched coffee as she shot up out of her seat and followed Angelus. Determined now to discover answers, and help in any way she could in discovering what had happened to Buffy and getting her back. All she had to do was manage to keep up with him. "Angelus, what is it?!" She called after him as she hurried through the café after his swiftly departing figure.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy paused in her agitated pacing as her keen ears picked up as a sudden whirling and whooshing sound filled her cell. Looking up she frowned as her gaze landed on one of the three tiny vents; having traced the strange noise to be coming from them. Her eyes widened in fear as she saw a white misty substance puffing out from the vents. Swiftly she turned so that she could look at each vent in turn and saw that the misty gas was flooding the room from all three vents and accompanying it was a sickly sweet scent that had the fine hairs on the back of her neck standing on end as she tried to back away from the invading gas, despite knowing that it was useless. She held her breath in an attempt to give herself more time, hoping that someone would come in before she passed out giving her the chance at escaping before the worst happened.

But the gas had already made her vision blurry and her head feel thick and heavy. Moving to squat down low in an attempt to avoid the gas for a bit longer as it practically covered then entire room now; the action that should have been easy toppled her over however and the breath she had been desperately holding escaped her forcing her to take another breath on instinct as her back his the solid floor of her cell. The sickly sweet smelling gas filled her mouth and made her throat feel dry and yuck. That was the last thing she felt before the gasses effect took hold of her; plunging her into the depths of unconsciousness once again.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles came up to the mausoleum that just the other night he had bumped into whilst in that horrendous demonic state. He stood before the door, reluctant to go any further and endure the company of the peroxide blond vampire for even a few moments; knowing that the damned demon would no doubt make the experience as unpleasant for him as possible. Taking a breath as he sought to brace himself against whatever the vampire came up with. Opening the door; the action taking a bit more effort than normal from lack of use, stepping inside the spacious interior of the mausoleum. Spike; who was lying down on top of the stone sarcophagus that occupied the old stone building, raised his head at the sound and scowled at the sight of his visitor. Sitting up, he threw the ratty blanket off his person. "Hey!" He growled as he slid down off the sarcophagus. "Wipe your feet when you enter a person's home." He grumbled.

"Oh, yes." Giles murmured as he closed the door. "Careless of me, tracking mud all over your, uh… mud." He finished a little lamely as he took in the interior of the mausoleum once again, taking in its state of filth once again.

Spike walked towards the ex-Watcher looking around the mausoleum he had chosen to take as his home after a lot of consideration. "I admit, it's a bit of a fixer-upper. Needs a woman's touch," He conceded, before turning his gaze back to Giles a mischievous light in his eyes. "Care to have a crack at it?"

Giles shifted his glasses on the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "While I'd love to go on trading jabs with you, Spike, perhaps I'll come to the point." He said a little stiffly whilst Spike looked about his new home once again, seeming completely disinterested in what his fellow Englishman had to say as he raised a hand to the back of his neck to rub at a crick that lying on the uncomfortable slab of stone had put in his neck. "As much as it pains me to say it um, I owe you a debt of gratitude for the help you provided me in my recent… metamorphosis." Giles finished awkwardly, not even liking to think of what he had become for a short amount of time… or the rage he had felt and displayed… it was also embarrassing to even think of.

Spike rolled his eyes and turned his gaze back to Giles as he lowered his hand from his neck. "Stuff the gratitude. You owe me more than that, mate." He said impatiently. Not caring one whit for the man's words of thanks they were useless to him and it gave him a feeling that he wasn't all together comfortable with! "You owe me more than that, mate." He reminded pointedly.

Giles slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small bundle of dollar bills and holds it out for him. "Three hundred. Count it if you'd," Giles words faltered slightly as Spike rudely snatched the bundle greedily from his hand. "Like." He finished a little annoyed.

"I'll do that." Spike muttered dismissively as he turned his back to Giles, his entire focus on the money he had earned, beginning to count the bills; wanting to be sure that Giles didn't jib him. Giles looked at Spike's back, before looking around the mausoleum once again. "Um," He began awkwardly, unsure how to bring up his thoughts to the peroxide blond. "Thinking about your affliction and uh, your newfound discovery that you can fight only demons." He rambled. "It occurs to me that," He chuckled awkwardly as he studiously avoided looking at the vampire. "I realize this is completely against your nature, but I-I-I… has it occurred to you that there may be a higher purpose."

"Ugh!" Spike growled as he lowered his hands in frustration. "You made me lose count." He grumbled in frustration as he turned around to face Giles. Keeping his face in some semblance of calm, having heard some of what Giles was saying and what he had heard had shocked and horrified him. "What are you still doing here?" He demanded to know.

Giles adjusted his glassed once again. "Talking to myself, apparently." He murmured any and all goodwill he had been willing to extend towards him in light of recent events disappearing almost as quickly as it had appeared.

"Well piss off then." He raised the money that was spilt between his hands. "This bit of business wraps up any, I got with you and your Slayerettes. From here and I want nothing to do with the lot of you."

Giles adjusted his glasses again. "Your choosing to remain in Sunnydale might make that a little difficult." He muttered coldly.

"Well, you and yours will just have to show a little restraint is all." Spike rolled his eyes in exasperation as Giles continued to stare with what he considered a dumb look on his face. "Get out." He demanded. Giles looked at him silently for a short moment longer, before he turned without a word and headed for the door. Spike followed him, unable to restrain himself. "And I don't want you crawling back here knocking on my door pleading for help the second Teen Witch's magic goes all wonky, or little Xander cuts a new tooth. We're through. You got it?" Giles thrust open the door causing Spike to flinch away from the bright light that it let into the mausoleum. Giles looked back at the peroxide vampire, his eye twitching. Spike scowled at him. "Honeymoon is over." He said callously, wanting to chase the man completely out of his home, before he got the urge to continue blathering. Giles turned away from him once again and left without another word just like Spike had wanted closing the door behind him with a firmer jerk than perhaps was necessary.

Spike turned away from the door and took all the money back into his right hand and began counting again, determined to drive Giles' words from his mind. He'd only gotten to the second bill before he dropped his hands to his side once again; a dark scowl darkening his brow. "Grragh!" He growled in annoyance. "Like I'd want to since to Angelus' level! Following after The Slayer like some love sick pansy!" He'd been loves bitch enough already in his long life, he wasn't about to add do-gooder to his list of problems! That seemed to be Angelus' prerogative; soul or no… not that he would ever say that to Angelus' face… he had enough to worry about what with the chance that Angelus still might come around and beat the shit out of him for smooching up The Slayer whilst under the influence if the mood struck him… there was no way he wanted to piss him off with an ill-placed sentence. Giving his head a shake he raised his hands again and once again started counting the money he had earned.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Walking back through the cemetery Giles walked with an angry stride heading towards the exit. When he reached the gate he paused and took a breath, the frown of irritation that had been darkening his brow disappearing. _'It's probably for the best.'_ He decided. _'It was hard enough dealing with one vampire lurking around. Besides adding Angelus and Spike in the same room was like trapping a dog and a cat in a burlap bag…'_ With that in mind Giles expression cleared; it was definitely for the best if Spike remained where he was and hopefully found his way out of town… sooner rather than later. And with a much lighter mind than what he had left Spike's mausoleum with; he began the walk back to his condo… his car still at the auto-shop after its adventure…

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Angelus cursed furiously as he stood in front of Giles locked door… a door that hadn't been opened even after he had knocked loud enough to draw the neighbours curious gazes; gazes that had quickly looked away after his dark menacing gaze had met theirs. Lashing out at an innocent pot plant that was happily sitting beside his door; his booted foot connected with the pot shattering it easily, spraying dirt and shards of the broken pot over Giles front porch. "Damn it!" Angelus curse darkly. Why was everything going wrong at such a time! The ex-Watcher was hardly ever from home! Willow made it to Giles front porch at that precise moment, rather out of breath and sweaty from the fast pace she'd had to keep up just to keep Angelus in sight. With her hands on resting on her knees she looked up at him in time to see him about to break a second pot plant in his growing frustrated agitation; born of what she could only guess was fear.

"Wait, Angelus!" Willow cried drawing Angelus' attention and saving the pot plant. Willow swallowed thickly as she felt the weight of Angelus' dark gaze. "Uh," She said nervously as she stepped towards him. "There's a hidden key." She explained as she moved passed him and knelt by the broken pot. Carefully moving the broken shards around, Willow searched through the dirt until she found the key that had been hidden under the very pot that Angelus had smashed to pieces. "Giles leaves this key out for us in case of an emergency." She explained as she straightened up, with the key clasped between her thumb and forefinger. _'And that time he accidentally locked himself out of the house and had to wait for Buffy to come round and break into the condo.'_

Awkwardly stepping up to the door wondering if she was really doing the right thing by showing Angelus the spare key and letting him into Giles home whilst he wasn't there… but she supposed that it was better than allowing Angelus to break Giles plants, before he attacked the only recently repaired door… yeah this had to be better… and cheaper for Giles in the long run.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy jerked her head up as she came awake and immediately jerked against the tight restraints that bound her to the horizontal bench; the leather straps binding her to the bench making it hard for her to even wriggle about in an attempt to get loose. As she tested her bonds she swept her gaze about the room she was now in and found that it was very different to her cell. It looked very much like her old high school science lab… just more high-tech… and never had she ever woken up bound to some kind of motorized bench in the old high school science lab. A frown immediately darkened her brow as she heard a door open; whipping her head in the direction of the sound. Her hazel eyes flashing with anger and an intense dislike as the familiar figure of her psychology teacher came into the room.

"Ah, good you're awake." She observed with a pleasant air that did nothing to lift the dark frown that Buffy was levelling at her. "I'm sorry about those." Walsh gestured at the leather straps that were holding her in place. Buffy gave her a disbelieving look. "But I didn't want to underestimate your strength and abilities. I'd hate to have you leaving us before your time."

"Right, because we can just learn so much from each other." Buffy mocked; sarcasm dripping from her every word.

"Exactly," Walsh agreed. "Of course your choice has changed matters a bit." She continued as she turned away from Buffy and walked towards a cabinet filled with rows of rows of small jars that Buffy assumed was various forms of medication and opened one of the drawers beneath. "There won't be any sharing on The Initiatives part."

Buffy cocked her head to the side. "Oh and you think I will?" She asked. "If you think that, you really have no idea what The Slayer is."

Walsh turned around to face her once again a needle and a tube designed to collect blood. "Of that I am sure. But it is something that I shall soon remedy."

Buffy glared at her steadily as Walsh moved towards her needle and tube in hand; seemingly unfazed by the death glare Buffy was levelling at her as she moved steadily closer. Walsh touched the needle tip to the flesh of Buffy inner arm, aiming for the vein that was most visible close to the inner elbow. When she was about to jab the needle into her arm, Buffy tensed the muscle and jerked her arm as much as the leather bonds would allow. It wasn't much but it was enough to knock the needle out of Walsh's hands and send it to the floor. Buffy shrugged at the look Walsh gave her. "Oops, muscle must have spasmed." She apologised sarcastically.

"I see." Walsh replied dubiously. Her expression saying more than her tone that she didn't believe a word of it.

Buffy merely shrugged again at Walsh's look, a mocking innocent look on her face as she met Walsh's gaze for a moment, before the woman turned away, heading back towards the drawer to get a fresh needle draw the blood she wanted. When Walsh came back she was more prepared for any subtle resistance Buffy would give her as she gripped her arm, before shoving the sharp needle into the vein. Buffy gritted her teeth together as she felt the needle in her arm and she watched as Maggie Walsh fitted the thin tube to the back of the needle. The tube fitting perfectly in the open plastic end of the needle and almost immediately her red blood began filling the tube and as she watched her life's blood fill the tube she couldn't help the bad feeling that pooled in her stomach. That The Initiative having even a small amount of her blood was a bad thing. And just as Maggie Walsh began to remove the tube she jerked unexpectedly and the tube fell from her hands and hit the floor. Causing the slim tube to smash to tiny pieces and Buffy's recently collected blood to pool over the previously clean floor.

Walsh let out a short breath that was filled with irritation, before she straightened her shoulders. "Right," She murmured under her breath and stepped away from Buffy as she headed over to a secure phone-line that was hooked up to the wall. Lifting it up, she pressed the phone up against her ear. "Doctor Angleman, I need your help up here for a few moments." Walsh listened for a moment before nodding primly. "Great, thank you." She spoke into the phone before hanging it up and going over the same drawer as before and lifting out a handful of the thin tubes as she shut the door the door to the lab opened and a man that she had never seen before stepped into the lab, but she assumed that it was the Doctor Angleman Walsh had just been talking to over the phone. Buffy gave him a look over and immediately didn't like him and the feeling had nothing to do with the look of intense dislike he was giving her, before he moved past her bond form and over to Walsh.

Buffy's hands clenched into fists at her sides as she watched the two of them converse in hushed voices that she could still hear, despite their quiet voices. Just another thing that told her that they knew little to nothing about what she was… and suddenly she was more than glad that she had hardly told Maggie Walsh anything about herself and her duties as The Slayer; leaving her with the element of surprise. Of course element of surprise wouldn't mean much if they could overpower her with modern Government funded weapons.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow sat down on one of Giles sofa's in his living room, watching with nervous eyes as Angelus passed back and forth, back and forth with agitation that she hadn't thought could grow any bigger, but it was and it seemed to grow with every step he took. She wanted to tell him to sit down, but she was too nervous! To nervous that he'd bite her head off if she even attempted to try and talk to him about it. _'Giles please hurry up and come home… what could he be doing all this time?'_ Willow thought nervously, her gaze going to the door hoping to see it open and have Giles step in… only to once again be left disappointed as the door remained closed; leaving her alone with Angelus…

Willow stiffened in her chair and her face turned pale as she realized that in the rush of everything she had forgotten something very important! "Oh God!" She gasped, her hands coming up to her face as she held her cheeks. Her exclamation drew Angelus' gaze and Willow seemed to shrink her chair as she met his annoyed gaze. "Uh, sorry… I just realized I forgot something…" She murmured.

Angelus rolled his eyes and turned away from her again. "Where in the hell is Giles." He grumbled under his breath, wishing that the red head hadn't decided to tag along with him. All she was doing was sitting there rather unhelpfully… the girl having no idea where Giles was keeping his information on The Initiative… He scrubbed a hand through his hair as Willow got up from the couch and stepped towards the phone as she muttered something about needing to make a phone call.

Willow picked up the old corded phone as she dived her hand into her jacket pocket and pulled out a small sticky note with a number on it. Quickly dialling it she listened to the phone ring and bit her lip as to her it seemed like the phone had been ringing for too long and the voicemail was about to pick up, but after what seemed to be the last moment she heard Tara's familiar voice that was slightly out of breath like she had just run for the phone. "Hey," She greeted back, trying to keep her voice low so that Angelus wouldn't hear despite knowing that when they were this close he'd hear anyway. But still it at least made her feel like she had some kind of privacy when talking to her new friend… not that she was really certain why she felt the need for privacy. "Uh, something's come up and I can't meet up with you like we'd planned. I'm sorry I didn't call earlier. I just sorta got caught up with all… with everything." Willow apologized sincerely and let out a small breath of relief when Tara murmured an acceptance of her apology. "Hopefully we can catch up later."

"Uh, sure…" Tara murmured as she squished down her disappointment as she sat down the backpack she had packed with the items she had wanted to share with Willow. "I hope so to."

Willow glanced over her shoulder at Giles front door as she heard it begin to open. "Oh… uh, I've got to go, but uh, I'll talk to you later ok. Bye." She said a little hurriedly, not wanting to be caught using the phone without permission. She set down the phone as Giles stepped inside closing the door behind him, before standing stock still at the sight of them.

Giles stood frozen in his doorway as he looked at his unexpected guests. He'd seen the broken pot, but he'd thought that it was just neighbourhood kids… but from what he could see, he now believed that it was Angelus that had broken his pot plant. "Uh, hello… this is a uh, surprise." He greeted as he shifted his glasses on the bridge of his nose as he did his best to absorb the fact that he had Angelus waiting for him in his home.

"Uh, hey Gil…" Willow attempted to greet him, only for an irritated Angelus to cut her off.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Angelus growled.

"Not that it's any of your business," Giles began as he unfroze and stepped away from his door and began taking off his jacket. "But I had some business I had to take care of."

"That took over an hour!" Angelus questioned as he began pacing once again, his hands clenching and unclenching as he felt the growing desire to punch or pull something apart… to make someone in a military uniform bleed and scream and die… going through them one by one until he got his girl back.

"I decided to stop for a coffee." Giles informed the irate vampire, doing his best to keep his calm, even as his heart beat at an uncomfortable rate in his chest; feeling rather uncomfortable with the dark vampire's obvious agitation. He folded his jacket over his desk chair, before turning his gaze back to his unexpected guests. "I wasn't expecting guests. Which leads me into my question… why are you here?"

Angelus growled as he paused in his pacing; running a hand through his hair in agitation once again. "They got her…" Giles froze, his eyes widening, not wanting to believe what he was hearing. "They got Buffy." Angelus growled.

Giles slid his glasses off his nose. "Slow down… who's got Buffy?" He asked.

"The Initiative!" Angelus explained impatiently.

Giles rubbed at his eyes. "Hold on, Angelus. How can you be sure they did anything to her… Buffy is supposed to be trying to infiltrate The Initiative."

Angelus growled in frustration. "No, Buffy changed her mind. She said that she wasn't going to do it anymore." Giles hand that was clutching his glasses fell to his side. "And she has been missing since the other night!"

Giles cleared his throat; a throat that had suddenly got thick. "A-Are you sure about this?" He asked his voice tight with varying emotions. Angelus' words at Buffy's surprise birthday party replaying in his brain like he'd just said them.

"Of course I'm sure!" Angelus growled as he whirled away from Giles as he fought to keep some semblance of calm as he wondered just what they had done to her after having her for so many hours… if they were preforming some kind of torture on her… or treating her like some kind of lab experiment! "Now, tell me everything you've found out about The Initiative and make it fast. I've already wasted enough time!" Angelus growled

"Oh, uh," Giles muttered a little flustered as he slid his glasses back over his eyes and walked across his living room, heading towards a locked cabinet. "It's right over here." He muttered. "I don't really have much." He warned as he unlocked the cabinet and reached inside to grab most of his materials on the Military group that had so recently invaded Sunnydale. Highly aware of Angelus' gaze boring into his back… and considering the circumstances he couldn't blame him… and of course there was also the relieving fact that his malicious intent was directed at a group of people that were most definitely not him!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy rubbed at the arm that Walsh and her doctor friend had stuck a needle in and had taken five little tubes of blood from her. The blood loss had made her feel the tiniest bit light headed; she had the feeling that Walsh would have taken more except that she didn't want to harm her too much just yet. Her fingers met the cotton ball and medical tape that Doctor Angleman had applied to her arm after Walsh had finished taking her blood from her. With an irritated movement she ripped the tape and cotton ball from her arm and letting it fall to the floor. Her skin was still crawling with the unease she felt at her blood being taken from her. From the needle that Walsh had shoved into her arm… Walsh; the professor that she had actually begun to like and even respect until very recently.

Her hand tightened around her arm as she pictured the look on Walsh's and the unfamiliar doctor she had called in to assist her when she had gotten sick of her attempts at resistance. The looks had been cold and calculating… for the first time she had seen Professor Walsh's real face… and shed hadn't liked it… of course she wasn't too fond of the real face of The Initiative either! She really found it hard to believe that a group of people could treat another person like this… and yet her she was… stun gunned and now being prodded and probed by creepy science people in lab coats with evil looks in their eyes… Buffy felt a shiver run through her causing her flesh to break out in gooseflesh.

Buffy gave herself a shake and frowned with determination as a steely resolve set in. She wasn't going to let this place break her. She'd find a way out or try to find one until Angelus came for her. She knew that he would, there was no power on this earth that would stop him from searching and finding her from the moment he realized she was missing. And if as much time had passed as she thought had… he should hopefully already be looking… _'God, I hope he's already looking.'_ Buffy thought, before she caught herself. She didn't need saving… she could save herself… all she had to do was find a way out… and hopefully they would give her an opportunity soon. She knew that she hadn't been back in the cell for long, but the white walls as shiny as they were seemed to be closing in around her in a way that had her feeling uncomfortable; despite knowing that it was just her imagination.

Buffy released her bruised arm as she sighed and fell back against the uncomfortable bed that had been provided for her; wishing that her head would stop feeling so light dizzy… the bright lights bouncy off the shiny walls wasn't helping any either. It hurt her eyes and didn't help that she was hungry making her feel a little nauseous. She heard the sound of the door opening and leaned up on her elbows with a jerk just as a vampire was shoved into her cell with a growl. Buffy's eyes widened in surprise as she reached for her stake on instinct and her hand closed around thin air. She swallowed thickly as she jumped up off the bed, causing her head to spin from a mix of the blood loss and hunger. Her hands subtly patting around her waist line hoping that her stake had just somehow slid from its usual hiding place instead of being completely missing… only to find that her weapon of choice was indeed missing.

She cursed under her breath wishing for the first time since Faith had shot Angelus… she wanted to do a human being harm and this time it was a woman who wielded a needle and pretended to be nothing more than your average university professor! "Slayer." The vampire growled and despite being weapon-less Buffy rolled her eyes at his unoriginal greeting.

"Now, look… there is no reason why this has to get violent." Buffy tried, not really wanting to resort to violence when she had no weapon and was feeling less than stellar. The gruff looking vampire stalked across the small cell and swung a fist at her. Buffy ducked under the thrown punch, accidentally losing her footing on the tiled surface and having to roll away from a second punch that to her relief missed her by inches and hit the tiles instead. Buffy leapt back up to her feet and raised an arm to block the next blow with her fist. "Or maybe we really do." She grumbled as she threw a punch of her own, in no mood to attempt to play the pacifist for long… and if anything this unwitting vampire that had been thrust into this situation would be a way to relieve some of the animosity she was feeling.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Standing in front of the monitor; a clipboard and pen in hand Maggie Walsh stared at the screen intensely, watching every move as the vampire and The Slayer attacked each other. Determined to not miss a moment and to her surprise she found herself making the same assessment as the infatuated Agent Finn. That she was impressive. Despite the blood loss and the lack of nourishment she still seemed to be making a kind of sport of the burly vampire she had ordered sent into the room. She watched Buffy slam the vampire into a wall, before leaping back, but not in time to completely miss the furious swipe of the hostile's arm; its hand glancing off her side.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy grunted as she dodged another blow from the vampire she had managed to make furious with her. Of course she wasn't in the best of moods either, the burly vampire; that she was sure didn't have so much as a single functioning brain cell, had managed to land a hit against the still smarting stun gun burns on her side, glancing about her swiftly to gain her bearings in the small cell. Strategically dodging back and dancing swiftly to the side once again out of the burly vampires reach. And just like she knew he would, he followed after her with not even a single sign of hesitation or forethought in his movements.

After a couple of years of fighting Angelus… fighting a vampire like this was almost… boring. It was predictable… and oh so easy to win… even without weapons. She watched the vampire as it came at her again… and waited for the exact moment… and swiftly ducked out of the way, throwing herself out of the way of the charging vampire and just like she had predicted he had too much momentum gathered to stop himself in time to keep from running into the electrically charged door. Buffy winced and shut her eyes for a moment as the door and the vampire lit up as the vampire practically body slammed the door. The current forcing him to stay there for a long moment, before finally throwing him backwards across the room to land with a heavy thud on the floor; his clothes which had been dirty before, now stained black and the sickening scent of burnt flesh filled her nose.

Buffy's eyes widened slightly as with barely a moment's pause the hulking vampire began moving again as if the electrocution hadn't done more than daze him for the briefest of moments. "Oh come on!" Buffy groaned with irritation. "That didn't even knock him out!" She grumbled as she jumped back up onto her feet and dashed towards the vampire before it could even begin to really gather its wits enough to pull himself back up to his feet. Straddling the vampire she punched him in an attempt to daze him once again, she went to punch him again only to be thrown off as the vampire tossed her off with a strong motion. Buffy tucked herself into a roll and gracefully got back up to her feet as she quickly glanced around her Spartan cell; looking for anything that she could use that she could use as a makeshift weapon… but there was nothing except for perhaps the wooden bedframe and there wasn't any real chance that she would be able to pull it apart and make it into a usable weapon were pretty slim.

Turning her gaze back to the vampire whose flesh was still smoking in places, she launched an attack. Taking control of the battle, her mind completely focusing on the fight in front of her; she landed a solid kick to the vampire's side, before she followed through with a powerful punch to the vampire's chest sending the vampire flying backwards. Buffy swiftly followed after him, not wanting to let up on her assault. She landed two consecutive punches to the vampire's face making him growl angrily at her, before mounting an attack of his own. And despite Buffy's best efforts she found herself being forced back as she blocked and dodged away from the punches and kicks. And all too soon Buffy found the backs of her legs pressing up against the wooden bedframe of her cot. Blocking his next kick, she sent up her own leg kicking the vampire square in the balls sending the vampire to his knees, before she used another kick to send him back giving her the space she needed to move without threatening to topple over onto the bed.

"That… was dirty." The vampire growled.

Buffy shrugged as she moved away from the bed. "Well, I would apologise, but I'd be lying. I'm not in any mood to be fighting fair. Call it a side effect of being locked up by a crazy scientist and being jabbed by needles… I hate needles." She stalked towards him. "Buffy and needles are an un-mix-y thing."

As she came into reach the vampire jumped up unexpectedly and his hand wrapped around her throat and lifted her off the ground. "I don't care what you find un-mix-y." The vampire growled, his hand constricting around her throat.

Buffy struggled for a short moment, testing his grip, before she gave him a look that decidedly lacking in fear like the vampire had hoped it would be, before she used his arm to brace herself for a brief moment as she raised her lower body. Kicking off from his chest, she easily broke his grip on her neck and landed on her feet after executing a neat flip.

She'd barely landed on her feet for a second before she punched him in the face once again, before following through with a few well-placed hits to his bulky body. The vampire attempted to hit back only for Buffy to duck under his arm once again, before swiping one of her legs out; knocking him off his feet and for the second time in a matter of minutes Buffy was straddling the vampire, this time however she didn't hesitate like she did before as she raised an arm and thrust it down with as much force as she could muster, breaking her hand through the flesh of his chest and breaking through the bone. Her face scrunching up in disgust and regret as her hand went through the vampire's chest, before her hand clasped around what it had been searching for; his un-beating heart. Her face was tinged a little green as she yanked upwards with a strong tug; feeling bile rise up in her throat as she felt tendons, muscles and the vales of the heart rip apart from their moorings in the vampires chest cavity.

Despite how sick the feel of the heart in her hand made her feel, Buffy ripped it all the way out of the hole she had made in his chest and just like she had hoped the vampire's heart disintegrated in her bloodied hand. The vampire gave her a shocked look, before he followed the way of his heart. His body becoming nothing more than a large pile of dust under her; dropping the remaining small pile of dust that had been the vampire's heart onto the pile she got off the pile, her face still tinged a shade of green as she felt the still wet blood sliding down her arm and feel the grainy feel of the dust that was stuck to the wet blood on her hand. She looked down at her bloodied arm and felt her stomach churn violently and the bile increase in the back of her throat…

Buffy scrambled over to a corner of the room and brought up the limited contents of her stomach, her throat burning with the stomach acid that she had brought up. After she had finished Buffy fell back, feeling only a little better as her body shook a little weakly, her stomach now completely empty. Glancing down at her arm once again, she slowly got back up to her feet and moved towards the bed. Ripping the sheet away from the thin mattress she wiped vigorously at her arm, doing her best to remove the drying blood from her arm and hand. In all her years as The Slayer never had she had to do something so disgusting! She could still feel the mushiness inside his chest and the strength of the strong muscle of his heart that had been slippery with blood. Buffy shuddered as she tried to clean the blood and dust off her hand; wishing that she had some kind of basin that she could wash the blood off completely in.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"I-Incredible!" Walsh murmured as she scribbled furiously on her notepad. She couldn't quite believe what she had just seen! There was so much to get through to get to the heart. Breaking through bones and muscles all designed to help protect the heart and yet The Slayer had managed with ease to get through it all and tear the heart right out of his chest. She shook her head in her continued astonishment as she raised her eyes to the screen again to watch as Buffy used the bed sheet to wipe at the blood on her arm. "Hmm, I wonder." She murmured thoughtfully all kinds of ideas crossing her mind, wondering just what kind of data she could end up collecting off The Slayer if she pushed her hard enough…

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"You're telling me that after all this time… this is all you've got?!" Angelus grumbled in frustration as he looked at the information Giles had spread out over his coffee table for his perusal. Or rather lack of information. It was all just basic information and a general idea of where The Initiative was based and a small note about room 314… all information he had figured out for himself… nothing that he could really use to help him find Buffy. "This was a waste of time!" He growled his eyes flashing amber, his hands clenching into fists.

Giles shifted uncomfortably, highly aware of just how little information he could offer. "I told you that it wasn't much." He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "You might try Spike. He might be more helpful with you than he was with us."

Angelus clenched his hands tighter, making his knuckles turn white, before he nodded stiffly and turned on his heel; marching towards the front door. Now cursing the remaining daylight hours that would prevent Spike from being able to help him for a few extraordinarily long hours!

"Thanks for all your help, Giles." Willow said hurriedly as she jumped up to her feet and hastily followed after Angelus once again. Still wanting to help in any way she could. "Angelus, wait!" Willow urged as she practically ran after him to catch him up. Reluctantly Angelus stopped and turned his head a slight fraction to indicate that he was listening. "What can I do to help?" She asked, her voice wavering with emotion.

Angelus half turned so that he could look at her, with cold brown eyes. "Nothing." He informed her flatly, causing Willow to look up at him with surprised, hurt eyes. Having been sure that she would be able to help somehow. "Maybe if you were more than a useless novice Wiccan. Go meet up with that person you cancelled on earlier." He said callously and began walking once again.

Willow frowned at his back. "Well, maybe if you hadn't killed Ms. Calander." She grumbled softly, but it was still loud enough for Angelus to hear.

Angelus froze and turned back and marched towards her a few steps, the expression on his face making Willow gulp and her knees shake in fear. "That nosy little gypsy witch deserved what she got. She shouldn't have gone meddling if she wanted to live. Now, get out of here. I can't have you slowing me down." He snarled, before turning away and stalking off once again, his steps quick and sure.

Willow stood still, her legs shaking terribly as she watched Angelus walk away from her. His body quickly shrinking into the distance. Willow swallowed thickly as she tried to calm down her terrified body. "Wow, he's really on edge… I don't think I've ever seen him like this… except for that time with those frat boys…" She murmured, remembering just how edgy Angel had been… of course… he'd been less terrifying about it. Taking another breath Willow began walking after Angelus, heading on her way back to the University campus; her shoulders slumped slightly with the weight of her worry for Buffy.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"Ow… not again!" Buffy moaned as she came back to consciousness. The bad after taste in her mouth all too familiar and she could still smell the sickly sweet scent of the gas that had once again flooded her cell. The smell of it stuck in her nose for the moment, but what was worse was that she was once again strapped to the bench… a bench that was now laying down flat. Buffy struggled against the leather. Her gaze flicking around catching on the vials of blood… blood that she was sure was hers. Buffy frowned at it wishing that she had the means to smash the vials… making the blood inside them useless… of course if she didn't get out of here soon Walsh could just take more for her freaky little experiments. "Oh, I was hoping that you wouldn't wake up until I was done." Walsh murmured as she turned to face Buffy a needle and empty medical bottle in her hands. The contents filling the syringe that she was holding in a way that Buffy really didn't like… nor did she like the look in Walsh's eyes. "I was hoping to be able avoid your little games this time round."

Buffy glared at Walsh heatedly. "Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I'm just not in a people pleasing mood today."

"No matter," Walsh continued and nodded towards a person who had been standing out of Buffy's range of sight. "I have the means to get your cooperation.

The person stepped towards her and Buffy's eyes widened as he came into her line of sight; completely surprised to see him. "You!" She exclaimed surprised, but said no more as she was distracted by the feel of the needle going into her arm… Walsh having used her distraction to her advantage. Buffy stiffened as Walsh pushed in the plunger for the syringe as if to will the drugs that had just been pumped into her system out with just the mere strength of her will.

Forrest felt a sense of satisfaction as he held Buffy still as Walsh pumped her full of a variety of drugs for the next experiment she had lined up for her. To him, it seemed like karma that after all the trouble she had given his best friend! Walsh set down the syringe as she put the last drug into The Slayer's body. "There." Walsh turned her gaze up to Forrest. "You should be able to release her from the straps now." Forrest nodded and bent to the task. "I want you to be a part of the assault team." She told him. "We need as many strong fighters that I can muster and with Agent Finn out of commission we are a man short."

Forrest nodded a cruel smile curling up her lips. "I can honestly say that it would be my absolute pleasure." Walsh nodded and a smile curled up her own lips, she couldn't wait to see what kind of date she would be able to collect this time round.

Buffy blinked as her eyes zoned in and out… she felt strange… strange in a way that she had never felt before and it was a feeling that was spreading out to all her limbs making them feel… not numb but… tingly in a very strange way. Buffy blinked again; screwing her eyes shut for a long moment, before slowly opening them again, doing her best to focus them on Walsh. _'What did she do to me?'_ She thought bleary as her eyes focused out once again, much to her irritation.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus walked back through the campus a dark scowl pulling at his brow. He'd tried getting close to the entrance that looked to be a loading dock, but it had been too crowded, there had been no way that he could sneak in without having to kill them all… not that he would mind, but once he started killing all of them would come crawling out of the wood work like ants racing to the slaughter and as much as the idea of slaughtering as many as he could appealed to him, he'd do no good to Buffy captured… and even more useless if they managed to neuter him like they did Spike!

That knowledge did nothing to sooth him! Buffy was enduring God knows what at the hands of someone she had trusted as a teacher and another man she had considered a friend as misguided as he had believed she had been in considering that Iowa mamma's boy a friend. He had still done something he found unforgivable and before this whole thing was over he planned to make sure that the bastard paid in as many ways possible! Angelus gritted his teeth together in an almost painful way as he walked. _'Hang on, Buff. I'm coming. Just hang in there. I know that you can do that for me… I've just got to find a way in…'_ He thought bitterly, the day light the he usually so enjoyed feeling beating down on his skin in that harmless way that humans and other demons enjoyed doing nothing but irritating him now… what could was it that he could walk about in the sunlight when he couldn't use that to save his girl…

Angelus' hands clenched into tight fists… so tight that his nails broke the skin on his palms and blood began to pool around his fingers, but he took no notice of it as he continued to stalk back into the main area of the campus. It didn't take long before he was back in the populated area of the campus and attracted nervous stares from those that he passed by. All of them picking up their pace wanting to be away from the murderous intent that was coming off him in heated waves. Angelus paid them no mind, none of them having any interest for him as he headed for the exit; wanting now to get to the cemetery he had heard his Childe Spike had taken up residence in. His stride came to a sudden stop though as he caught wind of a familiar scent; a scent that stoked the fires of his hatred.

His sudden stop attracted even more stairs and even more hurried footsteps as the university students decided that it was best to give him a wide berth. Angelus still payed them no mind as turned his head in the direction the wind was carrying the wretched scent that he had got to know rather well when the dullard had decided that he had to tag along with them when Giles had been thought dead. His gaze landed on Riley Finn just as he was standing at the top of the stairs; standing out of the way of the milling crowd that was streaming out of the door, talking to a young pretty first year student as she asked him something about her homework… or probably something along those lines. Angelus growled lowly, his gaze narrowing as he changed direction and swiftly made his way up the stairs, marching through the crowd trying to go down. Earning grumbles from the students and annoyed looks, but no more than that as the animosity he was feeling had them erring on the side of caution and continuing on their way.

The commotion his climb up the stairs caused drew Riley's attention and the fear and nervousness that sudden took over his features told Angelus all he needed to know of the boy's involvement in Buffy's disappearance. Angelus watched as the boy said something hurried to the girl making her pout in disappointment, before he took off in an attempt to elude him. Angelus growled loudly drawing more looks which he ignored as he took off in a hasty rush; which left one girl who had been eyeing despite all the animosity that had been coming off of him… bad boys were her time after all… but his sudden burst of speed had her blinking in confusion and looking about as sudden he seemed to be there and in the next moment he seemed to have vanished in the blink of an eye. The girl shook her head believing that it had to have been her imagination! Cause it was just not possible for someone to just disappear like that!

Angelus chased after Riley, his eyes narrowed on his fleeing form. Easily closing the distance between them, he grasped Riley by one shoulder and threw him up against the wall of the building, knocking the wind out of the boy. Angelus didn't give him a chance to get his bearings as he closed the distance between them, keeping the boy pressed up against the wall, his arm pressed up against his throat… probably harder than he needed it to be, but he had the urge to rip the boy to shreds so he should be grateful that he wasn't doing worse to the little worm. "A-Angelus." Riley coughed, his throat feeling rather constricted as Angelus' muscular arm pressed rather firmly against his throat.

"Oh, don't tell me you're going to play clueless." Angelus grumbled mockingly, pressing his arm even firmer against the boy's throat. "Cause I'm not really in the mood to play games here, boy." He snarled, his patience more than worn a little thin!

Riley met Angelus' gaze and his shoulders seemed to slump a little. When he'd followed his orders he'd forgotten about Buffy's strange boyfriend. Had forgotten that someone with more than average strength would be searching for her and have a fair idea where she had disappeared to. "Look, I know that you're upset, but…" Riley choked a little as Angelus drove his arm deeper against his throat making it extremely difficult to breath let alone talk. "She's not being treated badly… we just need to know what information she can give us."

Angelus scowled at Riley. "Oh, yes I'm sure that she is getting the full five star treatment." He snarled sarcastically.

Riley swallowed really not sure what to say as he remembered the cell like room that Buffy had been shut away in… "Walsh just wants to know what Buffy does. Wants us to be as prepared as possible."

"Prepared for what, exactly?" Angelus snarled, not letting up on Riley's throat, wanting to rip the boy's throat out so bad that he could almost taste it… smell it in the air…

Riley's mouth opened and then shut for a moment as he realized that he couldn't really name any particular thing. "F-For whatever comes. You more than most that HST's are always looking to cause mischief."

Angelus snorted. "'HST's' I've never heard such a ridiculous name for demon kind. Demons were here first, before humans ever dreamed of taking a breath."

Riley's look turned curious and for a moment he forgot that Angelus was threatening to choke off his air. "Really?"

Angelus rolled his eyes at Riley and pressed his arms firmer against Riley's throat cutting off his air and ability to speak. "I'm only going to tell you this once, so listen well, boy! When I get Buffy back from your militaries clutches and she has been harmed in any way I will hunt you down. Torture you for a few unbelievably long hours… for fun and to get a few names of your little military buddies, before I slaughter you like the military dog that you are. And then I will make a blood massacre of your whole military organisation."

Riley's eyes widened as during his speech Angelus' chocolate brown eyes turned a bright demonic amber, before they turned back to the familiar brown and he released him and stepped back from him. Riley coughed as he took in much needed deep breathes to ease the ache in his lungs. He rubbed at his bruised throat as he looked up at Angelus from a hunched over position against the wall with wary eyes. "What are you?!" He asked accusingly.

Angelus smirked at the boy and allowed his face to completely shift into the hard ridges of the demon, and watched as the boy's face twisted into a mask of horror at the shocking sight of Buffy's boyfriend revealing the face of demon… a vampire no less… a vampire that could walk around unimpeded during the day. "Me? I'm the vampire that will take great pleasure in tearing you limb from limb." Angelus gave Riley a cold smile that was more a bearing of his fangs. "I suggest you remember that the next time you see Buffy in that place. Oh, and take note of her appearance boy, for whatever she has suffered I'll make you suffer a hundred times over." Angelus assured him, before continuing on his way.

Riley watched him leave his chest heaving with fear and surprise; the distinct impression that he was lucky to be alive… he'd never thought that Buffy's boyfriend would be one of HST's that she was supposed to be fighting… killing… Riley continued rubbing his throat, still feeling the scary pressure of Angelus' arm against his throat. Looking back up in the direction Angelus had walked off in, he found that the vampire was now out of sight. A new feeling joining the fear and belief that he was lucky to be alive… and it was the feeling that he had just had met with a very different kind of vampire…

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"This is so cool." Willow said with enthusiasm, doing her best to keep her mind off Buffy and just what Angelus was doing at this moment as she sat with Tara in one of the student lounges on the campus as they looked down at a purple-pink crystal that Tara held in the palms of her hands. "Wow. I've been trying to find the dolls-eye crystal my entire life… Well since June anyway." Willow corrected a little sheepishly; highly aware especially after her little run with the more than a little bit agitated Angelus, of her lack of experience in her chosen craft. "Where'd you get it?" She asked, wondering if the place would have another one up for sale.

"It-it was my grandma's, I think." Tara explained a little shyly. "I found it a long time ago in my attic." She swallowed a little thickly as she hesitated a little uncertainly and shyly as she met Willow's gaze. "I-I want you to have it."

"Oh," Willow exclaimed shocked and touched at Tara's offer and was very tempted to accept it, but… "Th-That's really sweet. I can't." She floundered. "It's like a family heirloom. I-I just wouldn't feel comfortable." She explained. Tara nodded and made a soft sound of wordless understanding as she rewrapped the crystal in the cloth and put it back in the back. Despite her understanding she couldn't help but feel a little hurt at Willow's rejection of her offer… as if felt like a rejection of her… even though that was ridiculous. "But," Willow continued having taken in the soft look of hurt on the sweet blond's face. "I-If you wanted to try out some spells with it sometime, I wouldn't say no." She assured Tara and immediately the blond's face brightened with a smile.

"Maybe tonight." Tara suggested with a hopeful smile. "I mean, if you're not doing something you could… come over and we could do something."

Willow swallowed uncomfortably, her stomach churning uncomfortably, as she wanted nothing better than to meet up with Tara tonight and try out some more spells. There was nothing that she would like better… except… she didn't want to be doing something in case she was needed… in case Buffy was found, or any kind of information turned up. "Tonight… that sounds really nice." She attempted to assure Tara before she rejected the offer. "But tonight I, uh… that uh, thing that came up earlier hasn't really been resolved and I kind of want to be available to uh, help."

Tara looked down somewhat hurt again by the soft rejection and nodded her understanding once again. "Oh, um, that's ok. Another time." She murmured softly.

"Absolutely." Willow rushed to assure, not wanting Tara to believe that she didn't want to because she did. If Buffy wasn't in trouble, she'd be jumping at the chance to try out more spells with Tara especially with the Dolls-eye crystal. "It's just tonight… or at least I hope it's just tonight. I think I might have a nervous break-down if this lasts any longer." She tried to jest. _'Especially if Angelus keeps up this state of agitation.'_ She thought.

Tara remained silent for a moment as she tried to accept Willow's word at face value, but she couldn't help but find it strange that she had something come up and then was suddenly available again… only for 'that thing' to become an issue once again. Its suspiciousness made it hard to accept. "I better get to class." She finally said, deciding that it was best to not judge just yet; as Willow hadn't done anything yet to make her not trust in her… but she couldn't help but still feel a little let down by it all. Tara grabbed up her bag that was filled with her books and her crystal and stood up.

Willow stood with her, her hands folded in front of her nervously. "Well, um… I'll see ya later. Ok?" She asked, hoping to hear something from Tara that would let her know that she hadn't upset her and set her at ease. But Tara just nodded and walked off, her shoulders a little slumped.

Willow sat back down with a sigh, looking rather morose. "Well, that didn't work out the way I planned." She muttered under her breath as she rested her chin on her hand. _'Why couldn't things in life ever be simple?'_ She thought, instead there was always one thing after another and this time it had caused her to accidentally hurt someone who she was starting to get close to.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Walsh walked up to the metal security door and slid her card through the keypad. The sound of the door unlocking filled her ears for a short moment and she opened the door and stepped inside, a slight almost unnoticeable skip to her step as anticipation filled her for the next experiment for The Slayer that was fast approaching though not fast enough for her satisfaction, but the drugs she had pumped into her system would soon be taking full effect. She had patience and something she thought as equally important to occupy her mind until then. She came up to the door with the number '314' on it in bold black letters.

Punching in the key code into the security keypad, before sliding her card through the slot once again, the light turned green and Walsh opened the door and stepped inside her eyes immediately going to her baby on the table as Doctor Angleman turned to face her as he used a cloth to dry his hands. "How did The Slayer react to the concoction?" He asked.

"As expected," She informed him as she looked down with loving eyes at her baby as he lay prostrate on the bench. "I expect the full effect to kick in very soon."

Angleman put down the cloth. "She is an unnecessary risk."

"I'm controlling her and monitoring her carefully." Walsh assured him, still not looking at him.

"Yes, I know, but she is unknown. We don't know enough about her to be able to fully comprehend her reactions. Or what kind of friend's she has on the outside willing to fight for her release."

Walsh waved a hand in his direction dismissively. "You've heard the tales as much as I have. The Slayer fights alone."

"We've heard the scared, hushed mutterings of our hostiles. Hardly reliable." Angleman cautioned.

"Possibly." Walsh conceded, but still sounding unconcerned. "How's our baby doing today?" She asked changing the topic to something she found at this moment more pleasant.

Angleman stepped towards the bench. "Adjusting nicely. Reflexes, motor-functions. All off the charts." He informed her causing Walsh to smile happily.

"That's what I like to hear." She murmured. "Almost time to wake up, Adam." She murmured softly as she continued to look down at the form of a young man that is lying on the bench his eyes closed to the world. His skin was a mixture of colours and metal plating aligned the left side of his face from jaw to temple and a little more than half of it was covered in green. The skin that made up his body was different textures and thickness and where they met thick sutures joined them together. "And take your first look at the world." She murmured as she reached out and gently touched the side of his head that had neatly trimmed brown hair. "I know you're gonna make me proud." She murmured as a mother would to her child.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus walked down the street heading towards the cemetery he heard his Childe had decided to move into, his stride full of purpose as he moved quickly cursing the few remaining hours of sunlight would prevent his Childe from showing him where he had escaped The Initiative and hopefully the spot where he could sneak in and rescue his future mate. His hands twitched at his sides at the idea of her still being in those military bastards custody… suffering… he paused in front of a shop as something in the window caught his eye. He looked the way he was going, before looking back at the items that had so caught his attention at such a time. Nodding to himself, Angelus stepped towards the door, determined to make a quick purchase that he deemed more than a little necessary. Now that something like this had happened. Never would he allow something like this to happen again!

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Spike dumped up and out of the way as the door to his mausoleum was thrown open, allowing sunlight to stream unhindered into his sanctuary. He pressed himself up against the wall as he looked up at his unwelcome intruder. "Bleeding hell, Angelus! Shut the bloody door, would ya?!" He barked, a little anxiously, the stream of sunlight a little too close for his comfort. Angelus kicked the door shut that had it slamming against the stone structure. Spike breathed a sigh of relief as the harmful rays were once again cast out of his new home once again. "Geez, Angelus. It's not like every vamp can endure the sun!" He grumbled as he stepped away from the door, before he paused, his body freezing again as he realized that Angelus had just barged into his home and was looking like he would take great pleasure in killing him!

"Uh, Angelus… you know I think there is a time frame in which you can beat someone into a bloody pulp for an offense… especially an offense that wasn't really my fault." Spike rambled a little as he took a careful step back, really wanting to avoid a pounding from his Sire.

Angelus scowled at his Childe as his rambling got on his already irritated nerves. "Spike!" He growled causing the younger vampire snap his mouth shut as he swallowed thickly as he wondered just how bad of a beating he was going to get… hopefully it wouldn't be bad enough to put him back in a wheel chair… but from the look in his Sire's eyes… he'd be lucky if he would be able to walk again within the year after Angelus got through with him. "I need you to do something for me." Angelus continued after a few moments silence that he'd used in an attempt to calm himself down… Spike would be no good to him if he beat him into the ground with a misdirected outburst of aggression.

Spike cocked his head slightly and slowly a smile curved up his lips as the realization that his Sire wasn't here to beat him up, but to ask for his help. "Oh, so the mighty, Angelus needs something from me?"

Angelus lips curved down in a sneer as he beared his teeth at his Childe in no mood for his Childe's sass right now. "Yes, but keep pushing me and I'll beat you into the ground, before getting what I want from you."

Spike swallowed once again, but kept his cool as he leaned against the sarcophagus he was using as a bed for the moment. "Alright ya, pushy bastard. What do you want?" He asked as he pulled out his pack of smokes, frowning down at it as he pulled out the last one. Crushing the box and throwing it to the dirty floor as he pulled out his lighter.

"You're going to show me where you escaped from The Initiative." Angelus said darkly, causing Spike to pause, the cigarette almost falling from between his lips, before he caught himself.

Reaching up Spike pulled the cigarette from between his lips. "Are you mad?!" Spike exclaimed, shocked to his core that his Sire would want anything to do with that place. "That place takes demons like us and turns us into,"

"Simpering little lapdogs." Angelus provided when Spike hesitated in finishing his sentence.

"Hey, watch it!" Spike growled offended, before he took another drag from his cigarette as he glared at his Sire.

"Then stop yapping like one." Angelus grumbled. "You're going to show me where and that's final!"

Spike stared at him for a long moment, before he sighed. "Fine, for all the good it'll do." He muttered under his breath. "Just don't come crying to me if you get your very own chip in your brain." Spike straightened up as Angelus sat down on a bench; looking for all the world like he was settling in. "Don't tell me you're going to stay until nightfall?" He asked annoyed.

"I'm not going to give you the chance to slip away." Angelus said simply as he crossed his legs.

Spike frowned, before sighing in exasperation. "So, what's with the sudden desire to infiltrate The Initiative?"

Angelus growled lowly, his hands clenching into fists, his entire body tensing. Making Spike regret asking for a moment…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Riley stood in front of the monitor to Buffy's cell, his hands trembling at his side as he looked at the state she was in. Angelus' words had haunted him, no matter how many times he told himself that he was just a vampire and his thoughts and opinions didn't matter! He hadn't been able to shake those words and it had made the bottomless pit feeling in his stomach worse and so here was check in on her. But instead of finding her in perfect health like he had felt sure that he would… she was shivering and there was a dazed look to her eyes… this wasn't supposed to happen! Walsh was only supposed to ask questions… not this…

Riley swallowed thickly as he continued to look at the monitor. He had to calm down! There was no proof that this was foul play! He could just be seeing things… Buffy could have caught a cold or something, but still it didn't sit right with him. His instincts telling him that as much as he wanted to believe otherwise… the organisation that he had put so much faith in… had done something so horrible as to hurt her! Buffy wasn't supposed to be harmed when she got here… she was supposed to be questioned that was all. Riley looked at the screen for a moment longer, before he turned away guilt swirling uncomfortably in his stomach. _'What had he done?'_ He thought bleakly… _'What had his superior done?'_ Riley shook his head, there was no proof that Walsh had been behind this! After all she had promised him that no harm would come to Buffy whilst she was here… but… she was the only superior that had taken a real interest in Buffy as The Slayer…

Riley swallowed thickly as he walked away from the monitor unable to watch any more. His mind whirling with all the new ideas that had been put into his mind that day! Never before this would he have even imagined questioning The Initiative's motives. They were supposed to be the good guys! Helping to rid the world of the evil… keeping the people safe from the Hostile Sub Terrestrials! But for the first time, his view had been challenged… why would they harm a person that could very well be an asset to their cause. Why would they treat as if she was as bad as the hostiles? Riley shook his head trying to make sense of his thoughts as his mind whirled in torment as what he was finding out warred with what he whole heartedly believed. As he continued to walk away from the monitor, his pager suddenly went off. Looking down at it he sighed a little, not wanting to have deal with his boss right now… not when he was so conflicted and out of sorts with all this! But an order was an order… he couldn't disobey an order…

Looking back over his shoulder at the monitor, he sighed once again wishing for the first time that he had at least disobeyed one order… so that he wouldn't be struggling with this right now! The Initiative had become his whole life… and now this…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy leaned against the wall as she sat on the uncomfortable bed, her whole body felt strange and it was a feeling that was just getting worse as more time past. She couldn't even focus her eyes properly at all anymore everything was distorted and felt out of place. Her mind felt thick and sluggish… and she was finding it hard to breath, not to mention stringing to thoughts together coherently… Buffy shook her head as she tried to shake the strange feeling. She squeezed her arms tighter around her legs trying to stop the uncomfortable tingling sensation that made it feel like she had thousands of little insects swarming over her skin. "Imagination." She muttered lowly, before the thought escaped her again. "Fire pretty, tree bad." She muttered as she struggled to get her thoughts together, but that train of thought escaped her as well. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, blocking out the blurry world the drugs had given her, something about it make her head throb, but that could just be another side effect of the combination of drugs that had been given her… or stress.

*****B/Aus*****

Anya sighed as she watched her boyfriend pace around the dorm room from where she sat on Buffy's bed. Completely and utterly bored with the situation. She didn't understand why Buffy being held captive prevented them from going out and having fun at The Bronze even without Willow who was determined to sit around waiting. There was nothing that they could do to help her, so what was the point of hanging around having no fun and just worrying! What was the point to it? The Bronze would be much more fun. Eventually she sighed as she came to the end of her patience. "Are we ever going to the Bronze?" She asked with irritation.

Xander stopped in his pacing as he focused on Anya for the first time since hearing that Buffy had been captured. "Anh, the Bronze isn't really all that important right now. We've got a friend in trouble here."

Anya rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over his chest. "Willow said that Angelus is looking for her. What do you think that you can do that Angelus can't." She asked, completely oblivious to the hurt her blunt words had caused.

Xander cleared his throat as he tried to move past the hurt. "Anya, I know that you're still learning about being human and all. And one of the things you're going to have to learn is that friends stick by each other… even if they can't help."

Anya stood up from the bed, her arms still crossed over her chest. "Fine, you can do what you want! But I'm going to the Bronze to have fun and not have to just sit here worrying and worrying." She huffed, before storming towards the door and stalking out of sit.

Xander flinched as the door slammed behind Anya. "Ah, sorry about that, she's still getting used to the whole human thing."

Willow shrugged. "I guess it's not something that you learn overnight."

Xander sat down on the bed beside Willow with a sigh. "I can't believe they got her. I always knew that there was something fishy and off about those commando guys!" Xander exclaimed.

"They have turned out to be pretty slimy." Willow agreed. Willow tucked her legs up onto the bed and hugged them to her chest. "I just hope Angelus gets her back ok."

Xander placed a hand on Willow's shoulder. "If anyone can get her back he can. In this case, Angelus' ruthlessness is an asset… I can't believe I just said that." He exclaimed, using it as a way to lighten the mood, despite meaning every word. His effort paid off as Willow cracked small smile. "I'm sure that he'll get Buffy back before we know it."

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Riley sat amongst the team that had been gathered for the mission all of them familiar faces as he'd worked with all of them at least once before. He was happy to see Graham seated in amongst them, but disappointed to see that Forrest for whatever reason hadn't been brought on board for this mission. He felt like he needed his best friend right now and as much as he liked Graham he wasn't as close to him as he was with Forrest… Forrest he felt he could trust with the inner turmoil that he was feeling right now. Could perhaps help him work his way through it and find the truth of the matter… as that was what he wanted. He wanted to get to the bottom of this now… and until he did he wouldn't be able to feel easy in amongst the organization. "This is your objective. Sub-T: 67119. Demon class Polgara species." Walsh began bringing Riley's attention to the matter at hand. "Though visual confirmation has not yet been made, we're confident of the target's approximate position as it leaves behind a distinct protein marker. Dr. Angleman will brief you on its defences." Walsh stepped aside to give the floor to the Doctor.

Riley forced himself to keep focused as Doctor Angleman took her spot in front of the projected image of the Sub-Terrestrial they were going after. But his mind couldn't help, but want to wander and his gaze kept going to Walsh as she stood with her usual calm demeanour… as if she'd done nothing… but… Buffy hadn't been acting anything like her normal self when he'd checked on her before… his eyes shot back to the Doctor as he began talking. "When threatened… bone skewers jut from the creature's forearms during the battle. It's imperative when ensnaring it not to damage its arms. That's all you really need to know."

Walsh stood up from the chair she had taken. "Right, Thank you Dr. Anglman. Agent Finn, deploy the teams." She ordered.

Riley hesitated a moment, before he nodded and stood from his seat, drawing everyone's gaze to him as he walked to the front, standing in front of Walsh. "Ok, listen up." He began all business like as his training to over. "We'll be going in four squad set-up…"

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus followed Spike as the peroxide blond lead him to an entrance of The Initiative; his hands rhythmically clenching and unclenching as he couldn't help but imagine ripping into the soldiers that would inevitably get in his way as he searched for Buffy in their halls. He stopped short as Spike suddenly stopped in what appeared to be a random spot on the University Campus. "Spike, what are you doing?!" Angelus growled as he grasped his Childe by his shirt.

"Hey, calm down mate. I'm only doing what you asked me to." Spike assured him as he held his hands up in the air. Reluctantly Angelus released him. "After I escaped they sealed up the entrance." He explained.

"And you didn't think to tell me this earlier?" Angelus growled as he shoved Spike so hard that he fell to the grass.

"Oh, like you would have really listened to me." Spike grumbled as he got back up to his feet. "In the state you were in." He brushed off his clothes. "You should really keep a better eye on your girl you know," Spike didn't get a chance to continue as he found himself on the ground again, his cheek throbbing from the powerful punch Angelus had hit him with.

"You always were a useless idiot, Spike. I don't know why I thought even for a moment that would have changed." Angelus growled as he looked down at Spike, before he turned and stalked off.

Spike looked down for a moment, before he looked up again, glaring after his Sire. "Damned pansy bastard. Can't do a thing for him. Acting as if it's all my fault that those crazed military goons got his girl." Getting back up to his feet, Spike turned on his heel and began stalking off himself, a scowl darkening his brow.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy breathed raggedly as she pressed herself up against a tree as she struggled to have a clear thought in her head. Trying to get an idea of the situation that she had been thrust into! The last thing she could really remember with any clarity was being in her room and the next she was thrust into a forest like area… she couldn't even remember being taken outside… Buffy placed a hand to her head, it was aching. She heard the sound of a twig breaking and she forced herself to duck and it was just in time as a shot full of electricity hit the tree she had been leaning against, right where her head had just been… taking off as well as her wobbly muscles. The hairs on her arms stood up on end and on instinct Buffy tucked herself into the roll as she hit the ground and another volt went over her head. Scrambling back up to her feet, Buffy ran a few more steps before ducking behind another tree and out of sight.

Forrest who had taken the chance after having finally stopped her after spending half an hour along with the others that had been chosen to take part in this experiment. His teeth gritted in frustration as he reached the tree that she had disappeared behind only to find her gone and all trace of her gone as well. There was a small sound from above him and looking up he saw Buffy dropping down from above he lifted his weapon, only to have it half raised when Buffy's foot landed on it knocking it down and out of his hands, before as he looked back up from his lost weapon in time to see a shoed foot coming towards his face and just like that he was down for the moment.

Buffy landed on the ground, her legs giving out from under her for a moment. She placed her hands on them to feel her legs shaking. Knowing instinctively that it was dangerous to stay still for too long as there were still many more wandering the trees searching for her. Glancing to the side as best she could with her fuzzy vision she pulled herself up to her feet. _'Can't stop now.'_ She told herself as she began moving again, her legs feeling more and more wobbly under her as she continued to push herself to keep moving. To stop was to die and dying was not on her agenda not today anyway. _'Angelus.'_ His face crossed her minds eye and in that moment she managed to move herself faster and for an instant she saw something that was at odds with a forest. Skidding to a halt her body not wanting to completely obey her; changing direction she made her way in that direction wanting to find out what it was exactly she had just seen.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus almost threw open the door to Buffy's dorm room making the two inside jump at his unexpected arrival. Angelus scowled at the two. "What are you doing here?" He asked with irritation. Absolutely hating the sight of them at this moment, when all he wanted was to see his girl… instead it was just the red headed Wiccan and the annoying brat that Buffy had the misfortune to call friends.

Willow stood as she looked behind Angelus. "Where's Buffy?" She asked a little timidly.

Angelus's scowl darkened. "Spike was a dead end." He muttered after a moment of stony silence, the fact that what was seemingly his last hope to make a quiet entrance under his own power.

"So, what are you doing back here without her?" Xander asked his gaze accusing as he glared up at the tall vampire. "You said you would get her back didn't you? So, go do it, you good fo…"

Xander was cut off as Angelus was suddenly across the room and dangling him from his neck. Angelus' face hard and cold with the ridges of the demon, the only thing that really gave evidence of his overwhelming displeasure was his amber eyes as they flashed with murderous intent. Xander's hands clawed at Angelus' arm as he struggled to breath. "My patience has already been stretched very thin today, boy. So I have none left to deal with you!" His hand squeezed tighter around Xander's throat taking pleasure in the feel of the delicate muscles and bones their quivering as they struggled not to give way to his superior strength, just as Willow placed a nervous hand to the very arm he was using to dangle Xander from.

"Angelus, let him go. I know that you're worried about Buffy, we all are, but that's no excuse for violence. Besides Buffy wouldn't like it." Willow tacked on when he didn't seem inclined to put Xander down.

Angelus sighed and released Xander none to gently, letting him fall in an undignified heap onto the bed. "I suggest you keep your accusations to yourself, kid. I don't see you doing anything aside from sitting on your rump with a stupid look on your face." He snarled, his temper still smarting as he turned away from the boy. Willow breathed a sigh of relief and rushed over to Xander to make sure that he was ok. Xander nodded that he was fine, even as he glared warily at Angelus' turned back. "You shouldn't have said that." Willow murmured quietly as Xander rubbed at his neck. "I told you that he's been on edge all day. Xander huffed and lowered his gaze to the carpeted floor; he knew that Willow was right, but he hadn't been able to help himself… just seeing Angelus' smug face and without Buffy had just made his own irritation rise! And before he knew it the venom had been spewing out of his mouth… it didn't make him feel any less animosity towards the damned demon for dangling him in the air… squeezing his hand around his throat tight enough to hurt and leave bruises.

Angelus ignored the two as he turned his attention to the reason he had come up here in the first place. Completely ignoring the fact that the two were watching him as he walked towards Buffy's wardrobe; opening the door he stepped inside. Looking over the articles of clothes he stepped towards a blue jacket, one he had seen her in a few times now, he buried his face in it for a long moment, needing to smell her scent to feel close to her in some small way…

Willow's breath caught in her throat, her body freezing in place as she saw Angelus with his face buried in one of Buffy's jackets and she felt tears of a strong emotion prick at the backs of her eyes and it was all she could do to keep them at bay. The moment seemed a brief one to her as Angelus allowed himself to show a moments weakness as he almost seemed to hug the jacket and she could hear him take a last deep breath, before pulling back and as he turned to leave the room once again, she adverted her gaze, half wishing that she had remained by Xander's side on the bed… but at the same time she was glad that she had seen it… Angelus was just in such a volatile mood that it was hard to judge what his reaction was going to be at being caught by her.

But Angelus merely passed her by, and she couldn't help but feel relief at not having a dose of his temper once again like Xander had. Angelus' eyes narrowed in determination as he walked down the hall, intending now to track down Riley Finn and force him to get him into The Initiative… there was no other way left to him… he should have done that when he'd found him earlier! It was a real pain to have to track him down again!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Riley breathed heavily as two men on his team dragged the unconscious demon that had suddenly ambushed them out of nowhere. None of them had even seen it coming until it had already been on top of them. And the thing had packed a hell of a punch, but despite all its rage and ferocity they had managed there task, without damaging either of its arms as instructed. "Finish up here." He ordered a young recruit, who nodded eagerly, Riley went to move on, but hesitated and turned back despite the sense of urgency he felt to get back to headquarters… and check in on Buffy once again… he really couldn't be certain what it was but… he had a terrible feeling… a terrible feeling that told him that something was horribly wrong… that this whole thing had been extremely conveniently timed… and something about the way Walsh had looked as she stood there in front of them as she addressed them about the mission… it had been as stoic as ever, but there had been something… something he couldn't place… something that had made him terribly distracted and anxious throughout this entire mission. "You did well today." He complimented, causing the young recruit to beam at him and puff his chest out.

Riley didn't dawdle any longer as he headed towards the closest entrance to headquarters, wanting to see for himself that Buffy at the very least was still in her cell…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy breathed heavily now as she ducked under an arm and then dodged around behind him as the hairs on her arms stood up again using the man in front of her as a human shield as the blast hit him instead of her. As the man began to fall the man who had fired blinked and looked around wildly for The Slayer they were hunting. He let out a cry as from behind his legs were swiped out from under him. Buffy grasped the gun that he was wielding; yanking it roughly out of his hands, before slamming it down against the man's face breaking his nose and knocking him unconscious at the same time. Buffy dropped the gun down on top of him and continued on into the wood area she found herself in. Completely forgetting about the strange thing she had seen earlier, having run across those two… who had wasted no time in attacking her.

Buffy quickly disappeared herself into the woods not wanting to be found again… she needed to get out of here, where ever here was… she had to find an end… end to the trees… Buffy propped herself up against a tree once again, her legs shaking uncontrollably… and she could hear the blood rushing in her veins and her head wouldn't stop pounding… she was so sick of feeling… this awful and jittery… and so confused… she still couldn't see properly… everything she did was done on instinct… it was about the only thing she could really focus on at the moment.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Walsh scribbled down a last thing on her clipboard, before she took a breath this had been going on for long enough, nearly all of the team she had sent in had been taken care of now and she'd gotten all the information she needed. "That's enough." She declared. "Lights!" She ordered and almost immediately the lights came back on and few who hadn't been able to get their night vision goggles off in time let out disgruntled cries of pain as the lights pained their eyes as they ripped the equipment off their faces. Walsh turned to the man standing beside her. "See to it that The Slayer is moved back to the lab. "In the same restraints as usual. I have a few more things I want to check on before I am finished with her for the night." The man nodded his acknowledgement of the order and moved off as another came up to her. "Report." She ordered.

"There have been no fatalities." Walsh blinked in surprise. "A couple broken bones, fractures and sprains as such, but nothing life threatening." The man reported…

Standing in the distance Riley stood with wide eyes as he watched as two bruised and slightly bloodied comrades of his dragged a worse for wear Buffy between them. Riley's hands clenched into fists as he watched. His expression one of stunned disbelief as the bad feeling he had had was brought to life before his very eyes! Everything he had thought he knew was crumpling about his ears. He tore his eyes from Buffy's battered form, his gaze going to Walsh who was standing in the thick of things talking other scientists… completely unfazed… in charge… she'd lied to him! He didn't understand why… it didn't make sense… nothing made sense anymore…

Riley blinked as he heard people coming up behind him, and swiftly he ducked out of view, not wanting to be seen… not when he was seriously contemplating… what he was… Riley swallowed thickly… he couldn't believe that he had been a part of something so horrible happening to another human being…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy watched as Walsh turned away from her, her body still felt completely strange… in fact now on top of everything else she had been put through, her entire body felt like it was on fire! Her mind had started to clear now though… and she could actually focus her eyes rather well now; she was sure that very soon she would be able to see completely again. "You're not going to get away with this you know." Buffy suddenly spoke up, surprising Walsh enough for her to turn back towards her.

"Oh, your back with us are you?" Walsh observed and made another note on her clipboard.

Buffy grimaced, beginning to wish that she was still out of it, the burning, tingling sensation that was running over her entire body was not in the least bit pleasant… in fact it made her want to scream… and despite her burning skin she felt really rather cold, so cold that she was shivering. "He's going to kill you, you know. He will. Nothing will stop him. Not all the guns in the world."

"And just who is this 'he' that you speak of?" Walsh asked her voice a little sharp as she snapped her clipboard closed.

Buffy chuckled, her voice raspy. "You'll know him when you see him… and he'll see to it that you suffer." Buffy forced herself to lift her head, causing the throbbing in her head to increase dramatically. "He'll teach you the meaning of pain." Buffy promised her hazel eyes cold and mocking… and couldn't help, but feel that in her pain she was channelling an inner Angelus that she hadn't known she had until this moment. She couldn't seem to help herself though as she couldn't help, but want her dead for everything that she had done to her! Buffy curled her lips up into a grim smile. "You'll know true horror, before he's through with you." She promised.

Walsh stepped towards her. "Who is 'he'?" She demanded to know once again. Buffy just continued to smile at Walsh frustrating the older woman… as her heart beat uncomfortably in her chest, the look in Buffy's eyes unnerving her… making her believe that every word she spoke was true… that someone was plotting her death… a man who Buffy believed would be enraged by what she was doing to her!

Buffy chuckled dryly her mouth and throat feeling thick and dry as Walsh stepped away from her and walked out of the small lab room. When the door had closed behind the woman Buffy found entirely obnoxious, she rested her head back against the bench and closed her eyes. _'Angelus,'_ She couldn't help but think as she pictured him in her minds eye wishing that she could really see him… that she could touch him… Buffy's eyes opened as she heard the door open once again. lifting her head away from the bench once again expecting to see Walsh once again, only to be surprised to see Riley instead. "You're dating a vampire?" Riley spoke up.

Buffy chuckled once again as she leaned her head back against the bench again. "So, he showed himself to you did he?" She murmured tiredly.

"So… you knew that he was…" Riley said disgusted.

"Yes." Buffy answered when Riley couldn't seem to finish his sentence.

Riley's hands clenched at his sides. "Why?" He asked, he couldn't understand why she would want to date one of the dark creatures that polluted the world that they lived in! Buffy didn't answer the question as she closed her eyes once again, not really interested in talking to the man that was the reason why she was here in the first place. Riley looked at her for a long moment, before his hands relaxed as a thought occurred to him. _'Angelus had to have her under some kind of thrall. That was the only reason that someone like Buffy would ever even contemplate having a relationship with a monster like Angelus! She was The Slayer after all.'_

Buffy sighed with irritation as she opened her eyes again, knowing that Riley hadn't left like she thought he would. "What are you doing here, Riley?" She asked coldly. "Shouldn't you be off following crazy scientist ladies orders?"

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen? I didn't think that the Professor was going to treat you like this." Riley told her, his voice pleading; begging for her understanding.

Buffy made a disbelieving sound in the back of her throat. "Right, because being ordered to knock someone out with a stun gun and locking them away in a little cell smacks of good intentions."

Riley shifted on his feet uncomfortably, his guilt increasing at her words. "Buffy, I… orders… it's what I've been trained to do from the moment I entered the military."

"Are you looking for forgiveness from me?" Buffy enquired, her voice mocking. "Unfortunately, I'm not in a very forgiving mood towards back stabbing traitors."

Riley nodded, before he bowed his head slightly as he accepted her words, despite how much they hurt him. Before gathering himself together and looking out the small panel of glass in the door and stepping quickly towards Buffy drawing her curious gaze. "What are you doing?" She asked as Riley began work on undoing the leather straps that were binding her to the bench.

Riley glanced up at her face for a moment as he worked free a second strap. "You may not be able to forgive me. But I intend to at least attempt to make things right between us." He informed her as he began work on a third strap. Buffy looked up at him, thinking that it was a little strange that his words were so close to what Angelus' had been months ago…

Riley managed to work free the last strap and helped Buffy to sit up. His arms wrapping about her delicate frame and despite the situation he couldn't help, but flush a little at feeling her in his arms at long last, despite the situation. "Are you sure that you want to do this?" Buffy asked as she was lifted completely off the bench. "I'm sure Walsh wouldn't be too happy about this little rebellion of yours."

Riley's hands tightened about Buffy, knowing very well that Buffy was right. "Right now… I'm not all that sure that I care." He murmured conflicted, as he walked towards the door of the lab. Carefully opening it he peeked out into the hall. "After everything I've seen today… I'm just not sure." He muttered, hating that he was so confused and conflicted… having ones whole world turned upside down was not a pleasant feeling.

Buffy remained silent after that, not really up for a long drawn out conversation about Riley's problems. Her brain wasn't up for that right now… She closed her eyes as Riley's motions made her feel a little sick. Riley felt sweat bead up on his brow as he moved down another hall, wanting nothing more than to get out of here and for the first time he wished that headquarters weren't so big! Every noise made him wonder if he was about to get caught!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus froze mid step his body shaking lightly as he stood close to the edge of the University Campus. The whisper of the trees and harmless nightlife that took up residence in amongst the trees, shrubs and undergrowth filling his ears, but it wasn't any noise that had caused him to pause in his search for Riley Finn… but a feeling deep in his gut… a feeling that told him he should go back; back to Buffy's dorm room… Angelus frowned, a low dark growl rumbling from his throat, his hands curled into tight fists, before he turned on his heel and hurried back the way he had come. A snarl curling up his lips as he sped past trees and shrubs; startling small animals into bounding away as he tore through the night. _'This feeling had better be right!'_ Angelus thought with irritation, he doubted very much that he could handle much more stuffing around today!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy groaned pitifully in Riley's arms as he carried her down the hall, heading towards her dorm room; the sound making him wince with guilt. His arms were beginning to ach with her weight, but her dorm room was close now… and he deserved the pain and no doubt more. It was his fault that she was suffering to begin with after all. "It's alright, Buffy we're almost there." He murmured to her. Buffy murmured unintelligibly in response sweat beading on her brow as her body continued to shake beyond her control. Riley breathed a sigh of relief as he finally came to a stop in front of Buffy's door. He moved to shift so that he could knock hoping that Willow would be inside, only to freeze as a sudden chill crawled up his spine… a chill that had a cold feeling settle in his already uncomfortable stomach. The kind of cold one felt when they had the feeling that they were in the sights of a hungry predator… a predator that wanted him dead.

He heard an angry growl and he couldn't help, but gulp as he slowly turned around to face the man… no demon that he knew was standing behind him. The look on said demons face was almost enough to have his knees go out from under him as it was they shook embarrassingly. Angelus stalked towards his prey… prey that was daring to clutch his mate to his undeserving chest. "Give her to me!" Angelus demanded as he closed the distance between them.

At the sound of his voice Buffy managed to open her eyes and her lips curled up into a smile as she looked up at him. Feeling happy at the sight, despite the look of fury that was darking his face. "A-Angelus." She croaked out happily, her arm reaching towards him for a moment, before her arm fell once again.

Angelus snarled, unhappy with just how weak his girl looked. "I said give Buffy to me!" He growled, his voice sounding almost feral in his anger, causing Riley to shrink back somewhat his arms shaking around Buffy's body, even as he clutched her a little tighter… not liking the idea of handing Buffy over to the demon that had somehow ensnared her… tricked her into loving him. But as Angelus drew even closer his arms reaching for Buffy, he reluctantly relinquished her to him.

Buffy let out an unhappy murmur as she was jostled slightly in the transfer, before she settled again, her body relaxing more in Angelus' arms that it had in Riley's; trusting his embrace when she hadn't trusted Riley's. She sighed softly as she breathed in his scent her nose pressing into his leather jacket, glad to be able to feel him again after so long… after fearing that she may not even get to see him again… for a moment she forgot everything, Angelus' rage, Riley… her hurting body… until she felt a swift movement, before there was a loud thud and a pained yelp; which was quickly followed by the bang of a door behind them opening and a familiar female voice exclaiming. "Angelus, what's going on?!"

"Go on beg. Beg for your pathetic little life." Angelus snarled his hand tightening around Riley's throat as he effortlessly pressed him against the wall. Wanting nothing more than to feel his bones break beneath his hands, to feel the warmth of his blood running over his hands… to hear his screams of pain… to hear him beg him for mercy… for forgiveness. But at the current moment with Buffy nestled safely in his other arm… he'd have to satisfy himself with just feeling his neck break beneath his hand… and to hear him beg just the once.

Buffy stirred in his arm a groan escaping her lips as she forced her legs to carry at least some of her weight as she continued to lean against Angelus for support; her legs shaking under her. Raising an arm she laid a hand on Angelus arm, feeling his muscles quivering with tension under her own trembling hand. "Angelus, just let him go." She murmured.

Angelus gritted his teeth together, his angry brown gaze going to down to Buffy. "You-You would save 'him'!" He growled disbelievingly.

Buffy attempted a weak smile. "He did save me." She murmured.

Angelus growled again, his hand tightening around Riley's neck further, feeling the muscles begin to quiver and clench in protest of the increasing pressure. "He's also the reason you were hurt to begin with!" He snarled and Riley who had started to turn blue in the face let out a strangled sound that under normal circumstances would have been a sound of regret, but with Angelus' hand making it difficult to breath let alone make a sound beyond that of gagging.

"Angelus." Buffy murmured weakly, her hand slipping from his arm to fall uselessly to her side again as she rested her full weight against Angelus again; her legs refusing to cooperate any longer.

Angelus let out another snarl as he glared angrily at Riley for a moment longer, before he felt Buffy begin to slip against him. And instantly he released Riley's throat to grab his girl before she could hit the floor. Hoisting Buffy up into his arms, his eyes still on Riley as he slid to the ground clutching at his throat. "Get out of my sight." Angelus snarled, before turning away from Riley who was looking up at him with narrowed eyes.

Riley didn't stay seated for long though, knowing without a doubt that if he didn't manage to disappear himself for a little bit, the demon would take great delight in killing him. Angelus paid Riley no further mind as much as wanted to kill the little bastard, he was more concerned with Buffy and keeping her safe whilst she was weak… defenceless…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Walsh watched the rewound tape with pursed lips and a scowl. She couldn't believe what she was seeing… never had she thought that Riley… Riley who was so important to her plans… had betrayed her… had taken The Slayer out right from underneath her nose… instead of reporting back to her straight away when he returned from the mission she had sent him on… he had returned much earlier than she had thought he would; if the time stamp on the tape was anything to go by… As she continued to watch, her hands clenched into fists, it was as she had always feared, that girl had gotten into Agent Finns head and turned him against his own military outfit! Against her!

All she could really hope for was that the team she had sent out in search of the missing Slayer the moment she had returned to the lab room to find the blasted girl gone… and with her the blood she needed to keep preforming her experiments… to see if it could be used for Adam… she had been certain that with the addition of the blood of The Slayer would have truly made her boy as powerful as he could be… and bring her leaps and bounds closer to getting him to wake up… it was a day that she felt was near… but could never be soon enough… All she could do was rely on Agent Forrest to locate and bring The Slayer back… and this time she wouldn't be so hospitable!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Forrest grimaced as the binoculars he was using to help him see in the darkness of the night, touched his nose… a nose that had been put back into place and bandaged by a medic after that little blond bitch had broken his nose! His mouth was pulled down in a sneer as he searched the night with growing frustration. He wanted to find that little bitch and put her back in her place. Surveying the place one last time, before sighing and lowering the binoculars. "Damn it! How far could she have possibly gone in her condition!" He grumbled under his breath.

A solider who was also surveying the night, focused his eyes on a particular spot as movement caught his eye. "Sir," He spoke up almost immediately drawing Forrest's attention.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Over there, Sir." The Solider pointed in the direction he had seen the movement.

Forrest squinted in the direction indicated, before raising the binoculars once again, training them on the area before he smirked, his bad mood easing somewhat as a familiar peroxide blond walked out from between the trees and onto a uneven path; his arms loaded down with a couple of paper bags full to the brim with the essentials the vampire needed. "Well, well. Hello Hostile 17." He murmured as he lowered his binoculars not needing them to see the vampire anymore. A smug smirk curling up his lips as he quickly started to give out orders to the team he had been given by Walsh. Wanting to snare the vamp that had gotten away as well…

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles almost jumped out of his skin as a loud urgent thumping knock sounded at his door. his skittish movement splashing some of the scotch in his glass on his otherwise clean shirt. Hurriedly placing the glass down, he made a quick beeline for his front door. He wasn't quick enough though as another impatient knock sounded on his door. The impact this time making the wood door shook against the frame. Wrenching the door open, he was greeted by the sight of Angelus, Buffy clutched against his chest as she lay shivering in his arms. Giles barely had time to process the sight before Angelus was pushing his way past him. "Hey, Giles." Willow greeted softly as she stepped in after Angelus. Xander gave Giles a nod a he stepped inside as Giles adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose; trying to hide just how flustered he was at seeing Buffy in the state she was in. "Uh… um… you can put her down in my room upstairs… It's uh the sec…"

"I know." Angelus called back from halfway up the stairs, in no mood to be listening to the fumbling directions of the flustered ex-Watcher.

Giles swallowed thickly as he closed his front door and twisted the lock into place. "Uh, right… of course." He muttered, a scowl darkening his brow as he remembered exactly how Angelus knew where his room was, before he shook it off. There were far more important things for him to be focusing on… like what had been done to the girl he thought of as a daughter.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Angelus watched his girl shivering under the covers of Giles bed; a pained expression haunting his pale face as he watched her suffer helpless to do anything to ease her pain. Reaching down he brushed some of her damp hair from her face. Her small shivering body clad only in his silk shirt. Her own clothes wet with her sweat and the odour that came with being worn for days on end. He hated seeing her suffer… hated the sight of it. Almost as much as he hated the idea of being here; in Giles home.

To his eyes it wasn't as safe as that idiot Xander and the novice Wiccan Willow seemed to believe. Riley had been here before… which meant that The Initiative knew where it was… which made it unsafe, but he hadn't cared enough to argue wanting more to get Buffy somewhere that wasn't her dorm room whilst she was weak. He'd kill any Initiative solider that dared step through the threshold in an attempt to harm his girl any more than they already had. "I'll kill them all for you. Every last dirty, backstabbing one of them." He promised her just before a movement in the doorway drew his attention. His eyes narrowing on Giles as he hovered in the door.

"How is she?" He asked quietly.

"She's suffering thanks to whatever drugs they've pumped her full of…" Angelus turned his gaze back to his Slayer. "She will continue to do so until the drugs are out of her system." He frowned darkly. "Let's just hope that whatever the drugs are… they're not addictive."

Giles nodded his agreement, his sharp blue eyes sad as he stared at Buffy as she lay curled up in a small ball under the covers. "I'll bring up some water for her." He murmured softly, before he slowly turned and walked away; his heart feeling heavy as he began descending the steps once again. His ears picking up the sounds of Willow and Xander talking quietly amongst themselves.

Angelus didn't bother sparing Giles a glance; unable to look away from his girl; not after being tortured with the prospect of losing her for what felt like more than the couple of days it had been; but he was grateful for his offer to bring water all the same. With a soft sigh that was filled with as much emotion if he had permitted himself to let out the sound of heart-wrenching misery that was… had been coiling in his chest since he learnt that she was missing… moving about the bed, he knelt on top of it and with as much stealth as he had gained over the centuries of being alive he shifted forward; not wanting to disturb her anymore with his jostling than her body that was torturing her from within was already.

Gently he lay down beside her and carefully placed a hand on her side, just above the rise of her hip; over the blankets he was resting on. For a brief moment he feared his efforts were in vain as Buffy murmured distraughtly, before turning over on the bed so that she was facing him as he lay on the bed beside her with only his leather pants on. He let out a sigh of relief as she merely shifted closure to him and buried her face into the soft sool skin of his shoulder. It could have been his imagination or wishful thinking, but it seemed to him that his close proximity brought her some kind of relief from her pain as her body warred with the drugs that were plaguing her system.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles groaned under his breath; stabs of pain shooting up his back with every move. Sleeping on the couch last night whilst Angelus and Buffy laid in the comfort of his bed… something that would have left him very uncomfortable if he wasn't completely sure of the fact that sex was the last thing on their minds… and even if he wasn't… trying to sleep on the cramped space of his couch hadn't afforded him much sleep and he would have heard them; which was probably the only good thing about the terrible night's sleep he had suffered through.

Finishing pouring himself a full mug of steaming hot black tea; desperately feeling the need for the soothing beverage at the moment; after his horrible night's sleep listening to Xander's soft snores that had grown increasingly more annoying as his sleepless night wore on… and the knowledge that Angelus was upstairs in his room… in his bed with Buffy. Though to be fair it wasn't so much that Angelus was up there tending to Buffy as she suffered through the effects of the drugs The Initiative had pumped into her… it was more the fact that Angelus was in his bed… a bed he had positioned Jenny Calendar's body… setting the stage…

Giles shook his head refusing to allow his thoughts to process to far down that train of thought as he grimaced, the motion of moving his neck in such a way so quickly sending a fresh flair of pain shooting through his stiff back. Taking a swallow of his much needed strong tea as he slowly made his way grudgingly back into his living room where Xander and Anya where waiting for him… the later being the reason why he wasn't still lying on the couch trying to grab a couple more hours of sleep. Anya having come over in search of Xander and had quickly prodded him into having the conversation he was in the middle of now… a conversation that had been the tipping point into him deciding that he desperately needed the soothing quality of a strong black tea.

"I don't know how many more ways I can say 'I'm not interested.'" He grumbled tiredly as he stepped back into his living room, his gaze landing on Xander and Anya who sat on his couch looking at him expectantly; surrounded by several boost bar boxes that Xander had fished out from the boot of his car, much to Giles current frustration.

"W… try one!" Xander urged a little desperately as he reached for the closest box. "Check these flavours. Cherry-Berry, Maple Walnut, Ooo, almond liquorice." He tried to tempt the older man.

"Ew!" Anya exclaimed in disgust at the last one as her nose wrinkled as Giles moved across his living room coming to a stop by his coffee table, the aroma of his tea help him to sooth him almost as much as the hot liquid sliding down his throat.

"Anya," Xander said in a chastising tone as he turned towards her. "We don't say 'ew' in front of potential customers."

Anya rolled her eyes, wanting to get to the more important part of the whole boring process. "Just skip this part and tell him you want money to buy me pretty things." She stated calmly. "He'll understand."

Giles sighed tiredly giving as he took another fortifying gulp of his tea. "Very well," He conceded to tired and out of sorts after his terrible night's sleep to deal with a pouty Anya. "Hmm, maple walnut," He decided, believing that that was the one that sounded the most likely to be palatable.

"An excellent choice." Xander concurred as he reached over to the chosen box and pulled one of the bars of out of the box and handed it over. Watching with baited breath as Giles tore open the wrapper and took a bite.

Giles entire face froze as the taste of the 'health' bar hit his tongue; his lips pursing together to keep him from spitting the offensive morsel out of his mouth. "Please leave my home now." He ground out. Wanting the offensive boost bars out of his house and any further talk of him buying any of the atrocious bars ceased immediately. He dropped the barely touched bar down to the coffee table and immediately set about looking for something within reach to spit the mouthful.

Xander turned back to the boxes trying to judge would be best to offer up next to the older man as Giles spit the mouthful of boost bar into a hankie he'd pulled from his trouser pocket. "It's the, uh, gritty texture, isn't it?" He half stated half questioned wanting to be right more than receive an answer to his question. Quickly looking from box to box searching for the one that would be the one to tickle Giles fancy. "Maybe you're more a Cherry-Berry fellow." He decided nervously as he reached for the box.

Giles is saved from coming up with any excuses to beg off of tasting anymore of the foul tasting bars as a sudden pounding started on his front door. The sound startling him and almost causing him to spill his cooling tea down himself; setting his tea back down on the coffee table he moved towards the door, happy for any excuse to leave the conversation behind.

Giles happiness in the distraction evaporates almost as quickly as it came as his door burst open to reveal Spike as he rushed inside his body smoking slightly as he held a tarp over his head. "Close the door!" Spike demanded harassed, still feeling the heat of the sun on his back through the tarp that had heated up during his run through the sun in search of safety.

"Spike?" Xander exclaimed equally shocked and annoyed at seeing the peroxide blond vampire in Giles condo. "You may want to give up these morning jogs." He quipped with the full force of his sarcastic powers.

Spike gave Xander an exasperated look as he looked from the boy to his girlfriend and back to Giles who was calmly inspecting his door. Looking for all the world like he was just out and about for a Sunday stroll. "Solider boys are out in force. I've been trying to keep them off my scent. Run them in circles. But they keep coming." He explained as he continued to hide under the flimsy protection of the tarp.

Giles finished inspected in his door; satisfied that there was no real damage done to his abused door. He closed it with a soft click and immediately Spike dropped the protective tarp with relief; glad to be out of the sun's harmful rays. "What did you just say?" Angelus rumbled from where he stood halfway down the staircase. His dark brown eyes narrowed in anger as he stared down at his Childe who was staring up at him in surprise; obviously haven't been expecting him to be here. Angelus' upper lip curling up in an angry sneering snarl, "What did you just say?!" Angelus repeated with agitation.

"I-I said that the army boys are after me. What are you deaf, mate?!" Spike grumbled, his voice gaining more confidence as he glared up at his Sire; refusing to allow himself to be completely cowed by a mere look from Angelus… no matter how dark and full of the promise of future pain the look was. He soon regretted his bravado however as with a burst of preternatural speed Angelus descended the stairs and had his hand around his throat and was lifting his feet off the ground before the human occupants of the living room could even bat an eye.

"You led men from The Initiative here?!" Angelus growled, his eyes flashing a menacing amber as he fought the urge to crush his youngest Childe's throat for bringing the danger they were temporarily trying to hide from down on their heads.

"Might of done." Spike grudgingly admitted. His voice strained as he fought to draw in the necessary air to form words around Angelus' crushing hand.

A rumbling growl tore from Angelus' chest. "If anything happens to Buffy because of your stupidity," Angelus threatened darkly, his hand tightening around Spike's throat. "The fact that you share my blood will not save you as it has in the past." He assured.

"Oh, so you got your girl back." Spike gasped out around his Sire's hand.

"What's with all the noise?" Buffy asked quietly as she stood a step or two up from where Angelus had paused on the stairs before his own ascent into the living room; her unexpected voice in the growing din drawing all gazes to her.

"Buffy!" Xander exclaimed as he jumped up excitedly from the couch; happy to see his friend looking much better.

Angelus released Spike; allowing his Childe to fall from his grasp and in the next moment to human eyes he was standing beside Buffy. "Are you sure your right to be up?" He asked, one of his hands coming up to rest gently at her lower back in case her legs suddenly gave out on her as they did the night before.

Buffy afford him a somewhat tired smile; her night had been rough… and pain filled not affording much sleep as the powerful drugs slowly worked their way through her system. "I'm feeling much better. Still a little weak… but much better," She spoke down to those in the room below them, before turning her gaze to Angelus. "Thank you." She murmured, before resting a hand against his chest to help balance her still weak body as she leaned up to him and pressed an affectionate kiss to his lips. She felt his lips part beneath hers in welcome, but she forced herself to pull back instead of sinking into it like she wanted; highly aware of the eyes that were on them. Much to Angelus disappointment.

Spike rolled his eyes as he watched Buffy and Angelus' interaction. "You'd think getting his girl back would put him in a better mood." He muttered as he rubbed at his still sore throat; wanting to ease the already fading pain.

Buffy focused her attention on Spike; her hazel eyes narrowing on him in no mood to have to deal with Spike in her still sorry state. "Why are you here?" She grumbled ill-temperedly before glancing about. Leaning against the railing to see further into the rooms bellow. "And where's Willow?"

"There was nowhere for her to really sleep so she decided to go back to the University and stay with a friend." Xander supplied immediately. "But she did leave me a hug that she wished me to give to you for her."

Buffy smiled slightly at her friend, before her expression turned disapproving and annoyed once again as she looked down at Spike. "And he's here because?"

"The army dudes are after him." Xander supplied.

Buffy tensed her hands gripping the railing of the staircase harder. "Oh well that's just… great." She muttered sarcastically, before she sighed and brought one of her hands up to rub tiredly at her face; wishing that the dull headache that was beating at her temples would just go away.

"Hey, it's not like I asked to be put in the middle of your little escape, Slayer. They were out looking for you when they stumbled across me."

Buffy glared at him, his voice irritating her more than normal. "And you came here because?"

Giles cleared his throat and adjusted his glass on the bridge of his nose as he broke into what he feared may become one of their childish baiting games; something they seemed to have grown fond of during the peroxide blond vampires stay in his condo. "And… how is any of this our concern?" He asked. "Seeing as how you've expressed the desire to have nothing more to do with us."

Xander gave Spike a mock surprised look. "Spike said that?" He asked Giles.

"Mm-hm." Giles confirmed as he stepped back towards his coffee table and the cooling tea that was waiting for him.

"That hurts." Xander told Spike with mock feeling.

Spike scowled with growing frustration as he glared at all the occupants of Giles condo. It wasn't like he'd wanted to have to come here either. He wanted more than anything to wipe his hands of them, but if it was a choice between them and being recaptured by the army bigots he'd take them. "All right. What do you want me to say?" He growled exasperated. "I need help. And no cheek from you." He warned Giles as he pointed an accusatory finger at him. Giles raised a hand to his lips and pulled it across his lips in a mock showing of zipping his lips closed, before he picked up his tea.

Spike growled in frustration as he realized he was getting no closure in securing the aid he needed. "Look," He cried as he shrugged his leather coat off his shoulder to reveal a hole in his red shirt. "The buggers shot me… in the back." He reiterated in an attempt to garner sympathy from the white hats.

Unmoved Giles leaned back against his desk and took a sip of his almost cold tea. "Remind me. Why should I help you?" He asked.

Spike scoffed derisively. "Because you do that. You're the goody-good guys. You're the bloody freaking cavalry." He snarked.

Up on the stairs, Angelus turned to Buffy who's tanned face was still looking far too pale beneath the golden colour of her sun kissed skin for his liking. "We should go now." He said urgently.

Buffy looked up at him in confusion trying to think past the ache in her body. "Why?"

"Because, Captain Peroxide down there has more than likely led The Initiative right to us. And you are in no condition to fight," Buffy frowned as she looked down at her hands and took in the slight tremor; a tremor that persisted when she tightly fisted her hand.

Back down the stairs by the desk, Giles set his tea cup down on the surface, being careful to avoid setting the mug down on any papers that he considered important. "No, you can come up with a better answer than that. Why should 'I' help 'you'?" He enquired carefully enunciating certain words.

Spike was quiet for a short moment as he thought, before a triumphant expression appeared on his face and he pointed a finger at Giles. "Ooh! Because I helped you! When you turned into that Fyral demon, I helped you, didn't I?" He finished smugly.

"And, that was out of the um, evilness of your heart?" Giles asked as he straightened up from where he was leaning against his desk.

"Oh, hell no." He grinned widely. "I made you pay me…" Giles gives him a look as Spike paused as devastating realization hit him; wiping the smile off his face. "You right bastard." He cursed, before he dug his hand with irritation into his pocket and pulled out crumpled green bills clutched tightly in his fist. "That's all that's left." He grumbled as he slapped the notes into Giles outstretched hand. Giles looked down at the bills and idly began straightening them out; counting them calmly. "I spent the rest on blood and smokes, which I'll never see again." He muttered with a pout. He turned his gaze to Xander who was still standing idly and Anya who was happily seated still on the couch just watching what was going on with a vague interest. "Ah, come on!" Spike cried throwing up his arms in agitation. "Circle the wagons. Tend to the wounded here. No time for layabouts."

Spike's attention was drawn from his current problem to a slightly older one as he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and fought not to shy back from his Sire as came to a stop near him, Buffy standing by his side. "We're leaving. I don't want Buffy here if Spike," He said the name with distaste. "Has led The Initiative here, I don't want Buffy caught in the middle."

Buffy elbowed him in the side, with far less power than normal; something that made Angelus wince more than the slight pain her action caused. "I'm suffering withdrawals, not invalid. I can talk for myself." She grumbled, even as she allowed herself to lean against Angelus for support.

"Of course," Angelus placated, earning a soft punch from Buffy, before she sighed and closed her eyes against the pounding in her temples that seemed to want nothing more than to drive her to the brink of madness along with the rest of her aching body.

Giles nodded. "That might be best." He agreed. "Uh, feel better soon, Buffy." He murmured awkwardly and Buffy gave him a weak smile and fluttered her eyes in a weak attempt to open them again, before giving up… her body wanting to rest again… or tear out her insides… insides that seemed to be clawing inside of her…

"What The Slayer running? The big bad toy soldiers got you quaking in your boots." Spike sneered. Buffy's eyes shot open as anger seared inside her, but before she could make an attempt to move, Angelus' arm had already shot out in retaliation, his fist slamming into Spike's face; sending the younger vampire sprawling to the ground, bloody spraying from his mouth.

"You seem to forget, Spike. That it's you not us that has been chased from their home, it's you there chasing around like a rabid dog. So, I suggest that you shut your mouth, before I rip that annoying tongue of yours from your mouth." Angelus cautioned tightly, his lips pulled back in a sneer as his Childe picked himself back up to his feet; swallowing down the blood that had pooled in his mouth after the initial blow. _'Right prick,'_ Spike thought sourly as he shot his Sire a rather petulant glare.

Angelus gave a last barely noticeable nod to Giles, before he easily swept Buffy up into his arms and headed for the door without so much as a backwards glance. As he headed out the door with her, he glanced down at her. "Rest, Buff. I won't let them get their hands on you."

Buffy sighed as she rested her head against Angelus' chest, the pressure against her temple alleviating the pain momentarily. "But what about, Giles and the others?"

"The Ex-Watcher is a wily fellow for a Watcher. I'm sure he'll see them coming before they get there."

"Are we talking about the same Giles here? The one that tends to get knocked unconscious every other day?" Buffy enquired with a small cheeky smile.

Angelus chuckled; the sound rumbling deeply in his chest. "Yes alright, but The Initiative doesn't want him or your friends… and with Spike there… I'm sure he'll make a nice distraction."

Buffy smiled tiredly. "And doesn't that bother you… Spike is a part of your family."

Angelus winced at the reminder that the ungrateful brat did indeed share his blood. "Spike is far too stubborn to die. And if he allows himself to get captured again that's his own damn fault. Stupid bloody fool." He muttered under his breath; a scowl darkening his brow as he felt once again that turning Spike for Dru was the worst mistake of his life.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Riley stared at himself in the mirror as his hands clutched at the basin as he stood alone in the bathroom of Lowell house. his fingers trembling as he ran the events of the last few hours over and over again in his mind… trying to figure out just what exactly had happened last night. The more that he thought about it the more he couldn't believe it. He had to have seen wrong; heard wrong! Everything seemed wrong! What he'd been party to in the last couple of days seemed surreal. It wasn't the career he loved and respected… the mission he had spent months training for. The mission that made him feel like his life meant something. This couldn't be the mission he had signed up for… he couldn't have signed up to work for some branch of the government that would harm a human girl who had done nothing to hurt them and was capable of helping them…

He couldn't be part of an organisation that would torture a girl simply because she was a mystery… Riley swallowed thickly he couldn't believe it… he didn't want to believe it his mind had to be playing tricks on him! Riley glared at his haunted reflection; glared at it as if it had done him a personal wrong. With a sudden movement he struck out at his offending reflection; his fist striking the glass, smashing a small area to pieces and large cracks stretching out from the main damage. His knuckles bleeding from the small slicing cuts that glass had sliced into his flesh. Placing his hands back on the sink, he let his head hang; his eyes landing on his bleeding knuckles and he sighed tiredly his eyes squeezing shut and his minds eye was consumed with the image of Buffy; of Buffy as she leaned weakly against Angelus that… that vampire.

Riley opened his eyes once again a deep scowl darkening his brow and his lips curling back in an angry still. He couldn't believe that Buffy would willingly love that vampire! She was far too pure to kind and forgiving for such a creature! Angelus had to have thralled her mind into believing that she did. It was the only logical explanation he could come up with. Well, he wouldn't let it stand, he would do whatever he could to free her from the vampire's influence. Buffy at the very least deserved that from him… after he'd… he'd done what he'd done… Riley shook his head, his hands tightening around the edge of the sink… The Initiative couldn't be what he thought he had caught a glimpse of… it had to have been a trick… it had to have been…

Taking a breath he looked back up at the now broken mirror. There was only one thing he could do… he would have to go back to The Initiative… he had to talk to Professor Walsh. Surely she would be able to clear everything up for him.

The door opened suddenly drawing Riley's attention. The tension in his shoulders melting when he saw that it was just Graham. "We have a situation." Graham informed him and immediately he fell into military mode as he had been trained to do. This was something he was far more comfortable with.

"What is it?" He asked as he took urgent steps towards his friend and subordinate.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Doctor Angleman set aside the bone-saw he had been using and looked up at Walsh as she stood watching him work with a frown darkening her brow. Looking up from her baby as he lay still unconscious on the table. "I think our situation is getting out of control."

"Gates still hasn't found her then?" Dr. Angleman questioned seriously.

Walsh shook her head as she lifted her gaze to the only Doctor she trusted with this delicate procedure. "No, he has seen Hostile 17 and has split the team up so that they can attempt both missions."

Angleman pulled down his face mask with the bloodied fingers of his latex gloves. "Are you sure that was wise?"

"No, I don't." Walsh said sternly. "But both hostile 17 and The Slayer have seen the inner workings of our unit… they must be brought back alive… Summers especially."

"Do we still have the blood samples?"

Walsh shook her head again, her expression turning irritated. "Ril… Agent Finn destroyed all blood samples in the lab room we had The Slayer secured in."

"Agent Finn, is becoming a security risk." Angleman said calmly, causing Walsh to scowl at him.

"No, he's just had his head turned by a pretty face. He'll be back. All we have to do is bring him back into the fold." She said forcefully. Angleman gave her a look, before shrugging it off; knowing that it wasn't a wise idea to argue with the strict blond on the matter.

"We need to get The Slayer back dead or alive." Walsh declared her eyes hard. "Who knows what she heard during her stay here… what she may have picked up from the murmurings of the demons…"

"I thought you kept her well separated from the demon pens." Angleman said a little sharply.

Walsh shook her head. "I did, but who knows what other strengths she has. You saw some of the video feed. Saw what strength she was capable of… vampire's and other demons can hear extraordinarily well… it is no far leap to consider that she would have the same 'gift'." Walsh murmured, worry tinging her tone as she turned her gaze back down to her baby… she wouldn't let a little slip of a girl ruin all her hard work!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles stood over Spike, Anya and Xander at his side shining flashlights on the wound of Spike's bare back as Giles used a long pair of medical like tweezers to explore the wound flesh that was attempting to heal around the projectile that was lodged in the unhappy vampire's back. "Oww!" Spike growled as Giles prodded at it. "Watch it. That hurts."

"It doesn't appear to be a bullet." Giles informed him calmly ignoring Spike's bad mood as he continued to examine the wound; not particularly caring if he was causing the vampire pain… in fact he was rather enjoying the opportunity to dish some pain back to the unruly vampire… not that he would ever admit that to himself or anyone else. "It's too deeply imbedded to be a tranquilizer dart." He pondered further as he prodded again.

Spike winced and bit back a rumbling growl of annoyance; feeling that half the pain was deliberate on the ex-Watcher's part. "Also, not tranquil." He grumbled as he shifted slightly on the chair he was sitting on backwards so that his arms were resting on the back of the chair. "Some sort of… illumination emanating from it. It's blinking." Giles described.

Spike scowled with growing irritation. "I don't care if it's playing 'Rockin' the Cashbah' on the bloody Jew's harp, just get it out of me!" Spike yelled angrily.

"Anya, there's a bottle of Cognac in the cabinet next to the sink." Giles explained to the ex-demon; once again ignoring Spike' foul temper. "Can you get it for me?"

Anya gave him a slightly put out look, before nodding in resignation and headed off towards the kitchen. "What? You're gonna get snockered now?" Spike growled sarcastically, his agitation growing at being ignored and prodded by the vile tweezers that still hadn't managed to get out the… whatever it was in his back.

Giles gave the back of Spike's head an annoyed look; wishing that he could hit the vampire over the head with a good solid book; his wining beginning to grate on his nerves. "It's not for me, you prat." He grumbled. "If I'm gonna operate on you then I need you anesthetized. It's going to take some time." Giles explained as he picked up a scalpel he had place on his desk.

"We don't have any." Xander suddenly spoke up; having been leaning closure to examine the wound himself since Giles had said that it was blinking. "That blinking thing. My pseudo-soldier memory bank tells me that's a tracer."

Giles blinked in surprised confusion. "A what?" He asked just, before Spike echoed the question as the peroxide blond vampire turned slightly in his chair to look at the boy.

"It's like a homing beacon. And if commando guys are reading it… then as much as I hate to say it, Angelus was right. You've lead The Initiative army boys right to us." He finished with a scowl his words leaving a bad aftertaste in his mouth, just as Anya strolled back into the living room the Cognac in hand and silently she offered it to Spike who took it without a word and took a large gulp feeling that he was going to need as much anesthetizing as he could get.

Giles sighed and laid down the scalpel once again. "Well, we need to buy some time. It's in deep and I'm no surgeon." He muttered, before quickly walking over to his phone.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Willow slowly and carefully opened her undisturbed dorm room door, and peeked inside and let out a disappointed sigh at seeing the room empty and Buffy's bed as undisturbed at hers. She had been hoping that Buffy would have come back to the room by now and be as strong and as healthy as ever… all trace of her ordeal with The Initiative gone from her. She hated seeing her friend brought so low. It was so hard to believe that any group of humans were capable of such a horrible thing against another human being! Willow stepped into the room and gently shut the door behind her; her gaze sweeping about the room and at first glance it looked as if nothing had been disturbed. Like all Angelus' worry about The Initiative coming for Buffy was nothing but paranoia.

Except on a second look, she noticed a small piece of glass lying on the carpet. Kneeling down beside it she reached down and carefully picked up the small shard of curved glass. Setting down the beautiful pink dolls-eye crystal she had shyly accepted from Tara the second time she'd offered after they had made up and the awkwardness had passed; she laid the shard of concaved glass in her palm a small from of concentration pulling down her brow as she stared at it for a long moment, before looking up at her desk and looking carefully at the items on it; not being able to see anything amiss she sighed and glanced towards Buffy's desk wondering if perhaps the item that had been disturbed had been hers. Her brown eyes caught on the bin that was slightly displaced as well and she walked towards it, pulled it out from its spot completely her breath caught in her throat as she stared down at an old snow globe that she had owned for years… a snow globe that now lay smashed to pieces in the bin. "Damn." She mumbled, Angelus had been right after all… but how did they manage to get into the room without breaking more than a snow globe… Willow paled… they had keys to the dorms!

Willow was jolted out of her thoughts when the phone rang loudly in the quiet room. Hurrying across the room, she picked up the receiver almost dropping it back down in her haste. "Hello?" She spoke into the phone.

"Willow," Giles replied from the other side of the line; his voice full of relief. "You're there at last. We have a problem. Is Buffy there?" He asked, having not asked Angelus where he was taking Buffy; not wanting to know in case The Initiative resorted to torture to learn where she was… if he couldn't tell what he didn't know.

"Uh, no," Willow replied her voice rising in panic. "Isn't she still with you?"

"Don't worry about it, she's with Angelus." Giles assured Willow; hearing the panic in her voice.

Willow let out a breath of relief; pausing only for the briefest of moments at just how strange it was that those words reassured her instead of set her panic soaring.

"Oh, well alright then… do you want me to swing by the mansion and send her over?" Willow asked.

"Uh, no, no. It's your help I need, actually." Giles said as he ran a hand through his hair; his gaze flicking to his wrist watch to check the time; his anxiety growing with every moment that passed that Initiative men would smash down the door and come pouring in like ants.

Willow brightened. "Really? What do you want me to do?" She asked excitedly.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy sighed happily for the first time in days as she leaned back against Angelus chest as they lay in the hot water of a bath together; in one of the few bathrooms in Angelus' mansion. Her wet hair plastered to her forehead from the rising steam that surrounded the both of them, leaning her head back against the crook between his shoulder and neck and sighed again. "I'm feeling much better now, my headaches gone and everything." She murmured quietly as she swished the fingers on her left hand through the water; her fingers brushing softly against his thigh as she did so.

"It's the steam." Angelus replied softly, glad that his girl was finally starting to feel better. Shifting in the water he cradled her more firmly in his arms.

Buffy smiled into his neck. "I was going to say that it was the company, but I'm sure your right." She teased gently.

"Well, I'm sure it has something to do with the company as well." Angelus replied smugly.

Buffy glanced down at her fingers as they floated aimlessly in the water. "I knew you'd come for me, you know." She informed him as she placed her left hand on top of one of his. "Every moment I was in that infuriatingly white little cell, I knew you were coming. I don't know how I knew I just did."

Angelus placed a warm kiss to her damp head. "It's called trust."

Buffy smiled and let her eyes fall closed for a moment. "And what do you call 'channelling an inner Angelus'?" She asked teasingly.

Angelus chuckled. "A bloody good time."

Buffy frowned. "It probably would have been… if I wasn't strapped down."

Angelus scowled darkly, but didn't let the growl he could feel building in his chest claw itself free. He'd kill them all!

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Spike lay across Giles cleared desk; the now mostly empty cognac bottle dangling loosely from his fingers, his face slack, his eyes fluttering behind closed lids in his barely conscious state, hardly even aware of what was going on around him anymore. Xander and Anya stood watching as Giles continued to work with the small wound on Spike's back. Whilst Willow stood to one side one of her occult books based solely on witchcraft open across one of her arms as she held the dolls-eye crystal in her other palm; drawing on its power to help her complete the spell. "Tropo, strato, meso, aero, iono, exo…" She chanted her eyes going from word to word chanting the next word almost before she'd read it.

"So, how is this supposed to work again?" Xander asked Giles as he began to fill something like the beginning of a tingling against his skin… a tingling that raised the hairs on his arms and legs.

"If she succeeds her spell will ionize the atmosphere around us thereby disrupting the tracer's signal." Xander gave Giles a confused look, causing Giles to sigh. "Buys us time." He said in layman's terms.

Willow continued to chant ignoring the goings on around her to the point of blocking them out completely. "Elements are brought to bear. Wind, Earth, and Water churn amidst the fire. Let the air be burned." She finished and immediately they all jumped as the charge that had been building in the air with her every word burned through the air and the sound of every light bulb in Giles condo exploded from the sheer force and power of the spell she had enforced.

Willow looked around at her friends, fighting to keep a straight face as she took in her friends. "Did it work?" She asked. "Is the atmosphere ionized?"

Xander, Giles, Willow and Anya looked between each other and with every movement of their heads the snap-crack-pop of the static electricity running through their hair. "I'd venture yes." Giles muttered as he imagined what his own hair must look like from taking in the others.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"What do you mean the signals wacked?" Riley asked as he moved with the Beta team he had joined up with a short while ago.

"I mean the blips a blob." Graham replied calmly as he looked down at the tracking device. "Some kind of interference messing with the tracer."

Riley sighed. "Try to lock it down." He ordered. "We headed in the right general direction?" He asked his long-time friend.

Graham came to a stop and so did the rest of the team as he did his best to get a lock in on the blob that was supposed to be a blip. After a long moment Graham sighed; wishing that he could do better, but knowing that at this moment he couldn't. "I think so. It's gonna take us in populated areas."

Riley nodded. "Ok, then. We change into civvies and then move out. Maybe something will turn up." He ordered.

Everyone nodded and murmured their agreement, before continuing on. Graham giving Riley a torn look; wondering if it was really right to keep him in the dark about the team that had split from this very group with Forrest leading the way… looking for Buffy… he knew how much Riley liked the girl… hell he liked her… but orders were orders… there was nothing one could do about orders no matter how much they hurt.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy stood in the middle of her white cell a slightly confusion written all over her face as took in the dreadfully familiar room; her chest rose and fell rapidly as she felt her heart beating wildly in her chest. _'No, I can't be back here! I got out… Riley got me out… I had a bath with Angelus I know I did… I'm with Angelus!'_ She thought a frown darkening her brow as she spun about the room looking for any sign that this was all some trick of her imagination. That she was actually in the mansion that she had just been in the mansion with Angelus not a moment ago. The feel of his strong cool reassuring body pressing against hers!

She let out a sharp gasp as she felt sharp pricks of pain emanating from her right forearm. Looking down at her arm she took in two gaping wounds the size of needle marks and watched as her red blood oozed thickly from the wounds. Watching silently as the twin trails raced each other down her arm and onto her wrist. She continued to watch; unable to look away until one of the trails reached the tip of her middle finger a drop wavered there for an extended moment, before it fell landing with a soft splat against the cold white tile. The red a searing contrast. Before her eyes the blood and the wounds disappeared and the red drop on the white tile drew her gaze and as she watched as the single drop slowly grew until it became a puddle and something sickly wet and heavy was suddenly clutched in her other hand.

Raising her left hand, she looked at it with trepidation; her throat gagging as she took in the sight of the heart she had ripped from the vampire's chest. She stared at it for a long moment as if frozen; her eyes taking in details that she had missed before. Like the large and small veins that littered the organ the jagged edges of the valves, valves she had torn as she had ripped the heart from its owner's chest. Feeling bile rise up in her throat, she finally managed to fling the organ from her. Her left hand and arm still sticky with blood; as she continued to stare at her blood covered arm she felt an ominous feeling pressing down on her. An ominous that had her senses alert and her muscles tensing for an attacking. Whipping her head around in the direction she could feel the sense of danger she was suddenly in front of a door that was secured by a key card lock. Looking in the small rectangle sized window her eyes landed on a door with the label 314 boldly printed on it.

"It's coming." A disembodied voice called to her. "And you're not ready."

Buffy tore her eyes away from the door that was the source of her ominous feeling a frown of confusion on her face. "Faith?" She called wondering if her sister Slayer would appear to her like she had once before. And for a brief moment she saw a set of brown eyes and perhaps an outline of a woman that could have been Faith by the build and stance, but just as suddenly as Buffy was in The Initiative she woke up with a gasp and sat up in bed fighting for much needed air as her body trembled in memory of the place she had been tortured.

"Are you alright?" Angelus asked as he sat up beside her on the bed, where he had been happily taking a nap whilst Buffy got some more much needed rest.

Buffy swallowed as she nodded her head that she was fine and leaned into Angelus gentle touch as he placed a hand on her back. "What's 314?" She muttered with a frown. "What's so important about it?"

Angelus sighed and scrubbed his free hand down his face with vexed frustration. "Nobody knows. It's got the demons worked up, but not even they know what's really going on in that blasted room. All they know is it's nothing good."

Buffy nodded remembering him telling him that once before. "It must frustrate you that not even your snitches can get you this information." She murmured. Angelus huffed as he scowled with irritation at the reminder of his information networks failure in this regard. "I need to find out what's going on in that room."

"I know." Angelus replied with a sigh as he leaned back; propping himself up on an elbow as he studied his girl, glad that she was regaining colour. "So, it was a prophetic dream I take it."

Buffy nodded. "At least I think so. It started out more of a nightmare. Until the 314 stuff… and I think Faith tried to contact me… tried to tell me something…"

"Heh, now there's a nightmare in a nutshell." He quipped earning a reproving look from Buffy; to which Angelus shrugged. "What? The last time she saw you she was trying to kill you."

"Something you were fond of not too long ago." Buffy shot back at him, before slipping off the bed and walking towards Angelus' private bathroom.

Angelus fell back on the bed with a deep sigh. _'Well, that just royally backfired.'_ He thought mulishly, before jumping to his feet and walking across the bed and lightly stepping to the floor and following after her as he heard the sound of the shower running; refusing to allow her to stew in his past mistakes… the gaping chasm between them was finally closing to the point he felt that it was almost completely healed, he wasn't going to let things go backwards between them; not when things where so close to where he wanted them to be!

Buffy sighed softly as she felt Angelus enter the bathroom behind her and leaned against him as he wrapped his arms about her from behind. "I'm not angry at you." She assured him. "And I'm sorry… I'm just not in the best of moods." Angelus gently squeezed her and dropped a kiss down on her head, before she turned in his arms. "How can human beings do that to each other… I just don't understand?" She mumbled as she wrapped her arms around him… how could people she knew… people who knew her… do that…

Angelus sighed and held her closer. "Human nature can be as ugly as it can be beautiful." He said, it was the only thing he could think of to say that might make things better for her… everything else would only make her feel worse.

Buffy buried her face in his chest as she bit her lower lip, a thought spinning in her mind that she had never even dreamed that she would have. _'Why am I bothering to fight for people if this is what they do to each other?'_ She thought bitterly, tears stinging the backs of her eyes, tears that for the moment she refused to shed… they were tears she doubted that she would shed for a good long time.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

"Talk to me, Graham." Riley ordered, feeling like he was completely back in his element in this moment, and was glad for the distraction from his mind reeling thoughts of earlier.

"Signal's somewhere in this neighbourhood, estimate within a two block radius." Graham responded dutifully.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles brow was furrowed as he dug into Spike's wound with the tweezers; glad that the peroxide blond vampire was still out of it so that he wasn't whining and complaining with every touch of the tweezers and cut of the scalpel. Beside him Anya held a flashlight for him in one hand directed where he was working and a boost bar in another as she and munched at it nervously much like Xander and Willow. "It feels, and looks like," Willow spoke up as she took in the state of the others hair as the strands took back some semblance of normalcy. "The ionizing spell is wearing off." Willow commented nervously before taking another large bite of the awful tastelessness of the boost bar and began chewing to prevent herself from pacing and disturbing Giles in his delicate work.

"Giles?" Xander asked urgently searching for a response; hoping that he was close to finishing his work now that there bought time was running out.

Giles was silent a moment longer his frown deepening before he managed to pull the blinking piece of metal free of Spike's back. And elation filled him at achieving his success at long last. "I've got it. I've got it!" He exclaimed with both nervousness and excitement as he held up the tweezers that still clasped the blood crusted tracker in their metal jaws.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Riley easily kept pace with his team; a familiar excitement building in him as they got closer and closer to closing in on the one hostile who had ever escaped The Initiative. "Ok, we want to keep the hostile contained, so no one is to make a move without my…"

Graham stopped in his tracks his eyes focused on the tracker as it had been for the past few hours. "Wait." He called drawing everyone to a stop and all eyes to him as everyone waited for his reason for calling a halt. "Signal's cleared up." Graham informed them. "There." He said as he pointed to a point across the street.

"Let's go!" Riley ordered and the entire team ran across the street their speed increasing now that they had a clear fix on blip from the tracker dart.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles held the tweezers out to the waiting Xander, who took them from the older man. "Um, go!" Giles ordered as the stillness seemed to last too long. With his boost bar held in one hand and the tweezers in the other Xander burst into movement running as fast as his legs could carrying him down the hallway and skids around the corner, almost losing his balancing in his hurry to properly dispose of the device.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Graham suddenly stopped again, bringing the entire team to a halt once again. "What?" Riley asked a little impatiently, feeling the need for a win after the disaster zone that the last few days had become.

"It's on the move." Graham replied; his eyes locked on the blimp on his tracker.

"Heading?" Riley asked as he scanned the area; not wanting to miss a thing.

"Straight for us. Forty metres and closing. Moving fast." Graham informed them.

"In broad daylight?" One of the men asked forgetting his place in the heat of the moment.

"Look alive people. Weapons at the ready." Riley ordered and in unison they slipped their backpacks from their backs and slipped a hand inside reaching for the hidden weapons.

"Twenty-five metres… twenty… fifteen." Graham counted down, confusion colouring his face as it got closer and closer without any sign of the hostile.

"Where?" Riley demanded to know, as he scanned the area once again with still no sign.

"To the left." Graham answered without hesitation. "Ten metres… five!"

"Anyone?" Riley asked of the entire group.

"I got nothing." The same man that spoke up out of turn before said with only slight agitation.

Graham shook his head. "This doesn't make sense. It went right past us."

Riley clamped eyes on a guttered drain to the left of them and frowned in disgust. "Flushed." He grumbled. "The tracers been flushed." He reiterated and the entire team let out a breath and lowered their weapons as tension went out of them and disappointment settled in.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Riley walked back into The Initiative headquarters splitting from the team, giving Graham a good natured thump on the shoulder as they parted ways as he mentally prepared himself for the conversation that he needed to have with Walsh. He needed answers and he needed them now! Walking across a platform and quickly descending a ladder onto the main floor as he headed towards Walsh's office in the headquarters. He stopped halfway as he spotted Walsh off to the side as a somewhat dishevelled looking Forrest came up to her.

Changing course to meet them his steps slowing as he got closer not wanting to interrupt but at the same time wishing to hear what was being said between them. His troublesome memories of his last time here weighing on him heavily as he laid eyes on the man he considered a friend; remembering what he had seen of his part… Riley clenched his jaw and continued forward not breaking his stride and as he got closer his ears burned with anger and shame as he finally picked up on the conversation between them.

"I'm sorry, Professor Walsh, but there was no sign of The Slayer anywhere. Not in her dorm or the cemeteries. Not even students I've seen her talking to seemed to know where she'd gone."

"What about her friend? That red headed smart girl that's nearly always stuck to her side. Surely she would know something." Walsh said sternly, her aggravation shining through her eyes as she stared Forrest down.

"She was nowhere to be found either and I didn't want to draw attention to myself by searching to obviously for her."

"Alright thank you Agent Gates." She said sternly. "But we still need her brought back here dead or alive. Am I clear?"

"Of course." Forrest said with a nod.

Walsh looked past Forrest and her face paled and grew somewhat shamefaced catching Forrest's attention and he turned to see what had scared her so. His eyes clamping on Riley; who was staring at them both stony faced as what he thought he knew and what he had been trying to convince himself he knew came crashing down around him; threatening to send him crashing to the ground as the severity of what he had just heard really sank in. This was really what The Initiative was? It didn't seem right, but now… now he had undeniable proof. He'd seen it and he'd heard it from Walsh's own lips without having to ask a single question… it didn't get more truthful than that!

He stared at Walsh for a drawn out moment his legs refusing to obey the commands of his brain. He wanted to hit her, hit Forrest. Hit them both until they were both bloody pulps on the floor… but that went against his training, but… so did walking away, but eventually that was exactly what he did. He turned without a word; without a sound and began walking away his shoulders tense and his hands clenched into fists. "Riley." Walsh called and got no reaction. "Agent Finn. I order you to stop!" She yelled after him and to Forrest's surprise and Walsh he doesn't… Forrest gave Walsh a calming gesture and moved after his friend quickly.

As Walsh watched Forest placed a hand on Riley's shoulder and without a moment's hesitation Riley spun around and punched Forest hard in the nose re-breaking the only partly healed nose and sending him to the ground. Without even sparing Walsh a look, Riley turned and continued on his way. His mind still whirling as he marched out of The Initiative.

Her heart pounding in her breast Walsh called out one more time just as Riley disappeared out of her line of sight. "RILEY!" She cried after him, knowing that he could still hear her, but once again she received no response only silence and the secreted looks of those that had witnessed the scene that had played out between her and Agent Finn and Agent Gates.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles removed the latex gloves, he had been wearing to perform the operation on Spike; who was now sitting on the edge of the desk as he pulled his worse for wear black T-shirt back on, being careful of his wounded shoulder. "It will be dark soon. I think it will be wise for you to leave Sunnydale." Giles suggested as he adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose; more than glad that the whole idea was over and as such was more than willing to offer some free polite if not friendly advice to the vampire that annoyed him like no other man alive… or dead for that matter.

But Spike shook his head stubbornly. "I'm not going anywhere. Not until those bastards undo whatever they did to me. Put me back the way I was."

"Sure." Xander exclaimed sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Just explain to the nice scientist guys that you really miss killing torturing innocent people."

Spike gave him a hopeful look still a bit too drunk to be able to tell sarcasm. "Do you think that would work?"

Xander gave Spike a surprised disgusted look, before simply ignoring him as Giles removed his glasses. "Spike," He began carefully, drawing the vampire's attention. "Lord knows why I'm telling you this… it's for your own good. As long as The Initiative is in operation it's not safe for you here."

"No." Buffy butted in as she walked calmly through the door, Angelus just a step behind her; unwilling to leave her alone again whilst The Initiative was still had soldiers on its pay role. Her voice drawing everyone's gaze. "It's not safe for any of us." She said seriously.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Walsh looked down on the son she had put together piece by piece with Doctor Angleman's help. Her gaze affectionate as she stroked his short brown hair; leaning down so that she could be closer to the son that she had never met awake yet. "So, all right. Fine, Riley has left us for now, but I know he'll be back. He's too important to us. And The Slayer is playing hard to get, I don't care she's only one little girl. Preternatural powers so what she is one little girl and I have an army of well-trained soldiers with state of the art weaponry. What does she have… a little stick and nothing more." Walsh nodded to herself and smiled down at her son. "If she wants a war we'll give her one. Won't we, Adam? I've worked too long… too long... to let some little bitch threaten this project. Threaten me." Walsh paced to the end of the surgical table and placed a gently loving hand on his booted foot. "She has no idea who she's dealing with. Once she's gone, Riley will come around. He'll understand."

Walsh turned towards the second table which is now empty. The surgical bone-saw lying on it yet to be put away after being cleaned of blood; slowly picked it up to put it away like it was supposed to be. "It's for the greater good. He'll see that. And if he doesn't... Well, first things first. Remove the complication and when she least expects it… AHH!" She cried out in shock breaking from her monologue as she looked down shocked to see a long spear protruding from her chest. Swallowing convulsively she slowly looked over her shoulder her eyes landing on Adam who had awoken unexpectedly… with an action she had never expected him to turn on her… she loved him… and he'd… he'd killed her… "Adam?" She murmured her voice fading as her heart slowed before finally stopping.

**A/N:** Ok, so that is the end of this long awaited chapter. I hope that you enjoyed it! I struggled a lot with this chapter so I hope that it was worth the wait it took to get it to you. Please let me know what you think and I've got my fingers crossed that next chapter will flow easier.


	14. Chapter 14 goodbye Iowa

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of the characters mentioned in the cannon.

**A/N:** No your eyes don't deceive you this is an update for Dark Release! I'm sorry for the long wait but I was stuck on a certain scene between Angelus and Buffy. I thank you all for your patience and kind reviews and PM's.

I would also ask you to forgive any spelling mistakes as I want to get this up for your reading pleasure. Enjoy everyone!

**CHAPTER 14**

**Goodbye Iowa**

Giles took his glasses off with an emotionally drained sigh. His mind desperately trying to absorb everything that Buffy had just filled them in on.

The things that that thing that dared called herself human had put Buffy through ringing in his ears and if it wasn't for the fact that not even halfway through Buffy's tale Angelus had pulled her into his arms, he probably would be very tempted to pull her into a hug himself; despite how uncomfortable displaces of affection made him.

_I knew that I disliked that woman!_

He thought with a scowl. He couldn't even imagine treating a fellow human being the way Maggie had treated Buffy.

A treatment that could drastically change a human being… and he'd hate to even think of the kind of things Buffy would be forced to go through as she processed the experience.

Giles looked down at his hands and saw that his hands were shaking with the strength of his anger; an anger that was only shown in the pinched lines of his features, and now the shaking of his hands.

"Well Goldilocks, you've got more stones than I ever gave you credit for." Spike broke the silence that had fallen over the room since Buffy had stopped talking.

Buffy shot a glare in the peroxide blond vampire before she could move she felt Angelus' arms tighten about her; either to offer her comfort or to keep her from attacking his Childe, she wasn't all that sure.

"If you want to be an exciting variety of black and blue shades, peroxide just keep yapping, you defanged Pomeranian." She growled, pulling only slightly at Angelus' arms. Her desire to vent her pain on something focused on Spike in that moment.

Spike gave her an affronted look. "Hey Slayer, I was trying to pay you a compliment." He groused as he crossed his arms over his chest, only the slightest of winces crossing his face as his careless movements made the wound in his back to twinge painfully.

"Well, why don't you save it for Harmony?" Buffy grumbled as she placed her hands over Angelus' arms. She clutched at him tightly as she fought to keep control over her desire to pummel the peroxide blond nuisance that never seemed to go away no matter how strong their dislike for each other ran. "Or did she dump your ass?" Buffy asked with a false sweetness to her voice.

Spike rolled his eyes. "Oh please, I dumped her."

Giles cleared his throat as he placed his glasses back on, drawing Buffy's gaze from Spike to Giles. "So, you think Faith is trying to tell you something from her coma?" Giles asked, turning the conversation back to the pressing matter at hand.

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, maybe something about room 314, I mean in my dream she tried to contact me when I was standing outside the doors to 314." She explained her reasoning.

"Ooh, a bogedy, bogedy voice talked to you inside a dream and it has to mean something. Come on you've been traumatized! It's no big stretch that you'd have nightmares about the bloody place," Spike said mockingly as he leaned against the desk he'd been operated on.

Buffy returned the full force of her glare to Spike as she felt Angelus tense around her a growl of warning rumbling from his chest.

Spike held his hands up in a mocking gesture of his submission, "What, I'm just saying that it's a more logical conclusion than getting a sudden prophetic dream from a Slayer, your girl here, three quarts killed the last time they were face to face,"

Buffy scowled darkly at the peroxide blond vampire that seemed hell bent on pissing her off enough to send her flying at him with fists raised, "Why are you even still here?" She asked, before glancing over at Giles whose expression was one of exasperation, "You guys did get whatever the army guys shot him with out, right?" She asked and Giles nodded. Buffy turned her gaze back to the vampire, "So, why are you still here?"

"Well, if you hadn't noticed. It's still bleeding daylight outside, ya stupid bint." Spike retorted.

Buffy went to take a step forward only for Angelus' arms to hinder her progress as he refused to let her out of his embrace and she didn't bother trying to fight it, "It didn't stop you from making the morning commute here," Buffy stated coldly.

Spike growled at the vague threat of being thrown out to the deadly rays of the sun, before Spike could retort in anyway Giles stepped in once again to keep the peace in his apartment.

"If we could keep things on point it would be appreciated,"

Buffy turned her attention from Spike once again; a faint blush darkening her cheeks. She wasn't sure what it was about Spike, but it seemed to bring out the petty childish side of her that hadn't completely grown up when becoming The Slayer had forced her to suddenly grow up.

"This dream felt prophetic, Giles… at least the last part of it did. And there's no rule saying that dreams can't start out as just dreams and become prophetic… it's happened before,"

Giles nodded his agreement, "I agree with you. I just wish that you'd managed to learn more about 314."

Buffy shrugged, "I'm just along for the ride. I don't get to drive the boat," She quipped.

"Right, of course," Giles nodded distractedly, "I just wish I knew what Maggie Walsh was so desperate to have you for that she would have you ambushed and kidnapped the moment you showed the slightest inclination of not cooperating with The Initiative,"

Buffy frowned one of her hands coming up to rub at the arm Maggie Walsh had repeatedly stuck needles into as a shudder ran through her body at the unwanted memory and she felt Angelus' squeeze her waist gently.

Buffy gave his arms a grateful squeeze in response to his offered comfort, "The only person who can tell us that is Maggie Walsh and she has it in for me which means that The Initiative has it in for me,"

"I'm guessing the mad scientist isn't too keen on the fact that the entire Scooby Gang knows that The Initiative is up to no good," Xander muttered with a worried frown.

Angelus rolled his eyes and spoke up for the first time since Buffy had let them in on exactly what had happened whilst she was inside The Initiative, "Must you always state the obvious boy? People with evil deeds in mind tend to not like anyone knowing their diabolical plans until after they come to fruition,"

Unable to help himself under Angelus' dark gaze Xander shrunk in his seat on the couch beside Anya.

Buffy angled herself so that she could give Angelus a reproving look from the circle of his arms. 'Behave' she mouthed at him.

Angelus gave her a small smile and shrugged his shoulders at her, before he leaned in towards her and gave her a swift gentle peck on the lips.

Buffy returned the soft peck, before pulling back and giving him one last pointed look before turning back to the main conversation, "Which brings us back to the not safe for any of us concept,"

"What could have Professor Walsh wanted so badly that she would risk kidnapping a person?" Giles muttered his mind still stuck on the unanswered question as to why a woman as horribly smart as Professor Walsh attempt something so risky even with her government backing.

"I don't know," Buffy admitted, "She really wanted my blood though, took a fair few vials of it."

Angelus growled loudly drawing every eye in the room as the menacing sound rumbled through the living room; the fine hairs on their arms standing on end, "Does she still have them?" He asked; an urgency in his voice.

Buffy shook her head, "I had Riley smash the last of the vials,"

Angelus breathed out a sigh of relief, glad that Buffy had thought to have them destroyed before making her escape. He couldn't even begin to imagine what a scientist like Walsh would do with even one small vial of Slayer blood. But he knew that it wouldn't be anything good.

Buffy caressed her fingers over Angelus arms feeling the tension in him and wanting to ease it; hoping her touch would help him remember that she was safe now.

Safe and in his arms and in response she felt his fingers begin to caress her toned stomach and slowly inch by inch she felt him relax behind her.

"So, there's something about being The Slayer that she wants," Anya spoke up breaking the silence that had fallen over them as Buffy subtly calmed down the volatile, dark vampire that was clutching her with a silent desperation that Anya envied; unable to help wishing that Xander would hold her as tightly in front of his friends. But most of the time as always she felt that he felt ashamed of being with her.

"Clearly," Giles agreed, making Anya smile at having someone back her up; it wasn't something that happened often, "Although one can only imagine what she could be so desperate to get her hands on."

Angelus and Spike snorted at the same time for once in complete agreement, "It's the blood," Angelus and Spike looked at each other levelly for an extended moment, before turning their gazes away from each other; both of them willing to dismiss and forget that they had just had their first cordial exchange that wasn't soaked in hidden meanings and innuendoes.

Buffy shivered gladder than ever to have thought to have Riley break the vials of her blood, "Whatever it is I have a feeling that it has something to do with room 314," She said seriously, her expression solemn.

Buffy stiffened the moment the words left her mouth as she immediately felt Angelus tense behind her and she could feel the vibration of a low rumbling growl emanating from his chest and she just knew that she had just added fuel to the fire of the simmering rage that Angelus had been feeling from the moment she had been kidnapped.

"She won't get another chance to get her bony grasping hands on you," Angelus promised darkly, before he released his hold on Buffy and gently moved her away from him so that he could stalk towards the door more determined than ever to break into The Initiative and taste their blood on his tongue and feel it wetting his throat.

"Angelus," Buffy called after him wanting to bring him to a halt.

"I'll tear her fucking heart out!" Angelus growled in response just before he ripped open the door; almost tearing it from its hinges, before he stalked out the door.

"Shit!" Buffy cursed as she ran her hands roughly through her hair. Her fingers tangling in some knots as she wondered if she would be able to stop him from committing a massacre and as she looked at the open doorway, she hesitated in going after him as she wondered for the first time if she even wanted to attempt to save those associated with The Initiative.

"Buffy?" Willow asked nervously, wondering why Buffy was hesitating for so long.

Buffy gave herself a shake and began to move after Angelus; hoping that he hadn't gotten too far. "In my experience getting in Angelus' way, never ends well for those attempting to bar his path," Spike spoke up.

Buffy shot him a withering look, but didn't waste more time in giving him a reply before she hurried out the door, hoping that Angelus hadn't gotten too far ahead of her.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Adam smiled slowly as he stood in the hideout he had found, enjoying his freedom now that he was finally awake. All the information that was out there… there was so much for him to learn and he had only just begun to absorb what this world he had woken to had to offer.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Giles, Anya, Willow, Spike and Xander looked up as Buffy re-entered the condo.

"Did you catch up with him?" Willow asked with a hopeful little smile on her face.

Buffy shook her head, "No, He must have used some preternatural speed," She murmured worriedly, knowing exactly what Angelus was capable of doing when he had a mind towards violence especially with the mood he was in.

Giles took off his glasses and began cleaning the lenses in his age old habit, "Buffy, he's going to have to be found. The amount of damage Angelus can cause when the mood strikes him is, well astronomically,"

Buffy nodded, "I know, not to mention what The Initiative will do to him if they get their hands on him," She said worriedly, a queasy feeling in her stomach at the idea of Angelus being at the mercy of those Government funded wack jobs.

"Yeah, because fangless Angelus wouldn't all let us sleep better at night," Xander quipped, attempting to be funny, but only managing to earn a dark frown from Buffy as she focused her gaze on him for an extended moment, her hands clenching into fists at her sides, "Oh, did I say that out loud? My bad," Xander attempted to cover for himself the look Buffy was giving him unnerving him more than a little.

Buffy turned her gaze away from her long-time friend and allowed her hands to relax at her sides, "Um, I'm gonna go track him down, hopefully before he does something postal,"

Spike snorted from where he was now sitting on the stairs of Giles condo, "Yeah, good luck with that," He said sarcastically earning another glare from Buffy.

Buffy turned her gaze away from Spike, choosing to ignore him. There were more important things for her to do than trade barbs with the impudent vampire that seemed to be hanging around more often than not lately.

"You guys should all grab a weapon. We've gotta move," She said as she picked an axe and a grappling hook. She handed the axe to Xander and the hook to Anya.

Xander swallowed as he looked at the axe that Buffy had handed him, "Storm The Initiative. Yeah let's take on those suckers," He said trying to sound enthusiastic.

"I was thinking more that we'd hide," Buffy corrected him.

Xander sighed in relief, "Oh thank God,"

Giles placed his glasses back over his nose, "I think we should talk about this," He murmured not liking the idea of having to leave the comfort of his own home.

"We need to relocate someplace we're less likely to be found," Buffy explained, "We need to come up with a plan,"

"We could go to my place," Willow offered as she mentally judged her mom and dad's reaction if they were actually home.

Buffy gave Willow a grateful smile, but shook her head, "The Initiative guys know how close we are. They'll automatically check the places that you hang out," Buffy turned her attention back to Xander who was hanging his arms over the couch the axe still firmly in his grasp, "Xander, what about your basement? The Initiative haven't seen us together that much and there's enough room,"

Willow smiled brightly, "Ooh, plus mirror ball," She exclaimed.

"Cool! Come on down and boogie at Xander's hideaway," Xander agreed happily.

"Yes, come boogie," Anya muttered with a lot less enthusiasm clearly not as happy at the idea as her boyfriend, having hoped to have the night alone with Xander. A prospect that was quickly going out the window.

"Absolutely not!" Giles said vehemently, a horrified expression on his face at the idea of spending any quality time in Xander's dark dank basement, "I will not squat in that dank hole."

Spike shot Giles an affronted look, "What, it was good enough for me, but you're above it all?" He grumbled with a frown.

"Precisely," Giles said without hesitation, "Besides, I-I don't see why we can't stay right where we are. Pfft. It's very unlikely that those Initiative boys are going to come round here to look for uh," Giles trailed off as the door opened drawing all their attention, and Giles paled, his expression turning pinched and angry at the sight of the younger man; his sudden appearance changing entire tone of the room.

Riley stood awkwardly sensing the hostility in the room and not for the first time he questioned the wise-ness of approaching Buffy so soon after her treatment at The Initiative's hands… at his own hands.

"Riley… what are you doing here?" Buffy asked warily, keeping her distance from him. She was grateful that he had gotten her out, but that didn't mean that she wanted him around not after his initial betrayal.

It was because of him that she had been locked up like an animal and treated worse than a pin cushion.

"I uh, wanted to make sure that you were ok," Riley replied self-consciously, "And to see if I could be of any help," He added, glancing around to look at the pinched distrustful even angry faces of Buffy's friends as they all stared at him with wary gazes, waiting to see if he would attack the blond in front of him.

Buffy frowned, "You wanna help?" She said slowly, her tone disbelieving, it was one thing to get her out of The Initiative another thing to completely betray the organisation he so obviously loved.

Giles stood his arms crossed over his chest, "You'll have to forgive us if we don't believe you," he said firmly, his voice cold and un-giving.

Riley turned his gaze to the older man and to his mind, the man seemed completely different to the friendly librarian he had met only a couple of times, "Uh, of course, I understand that, Sir," Riley froze as he turned his eyes away from Giles to a man sitting on the stairs and as he stared he remembered what he found so familiar about him when he'd first seen him back in the old Sunnydale High School.

"That's Hostile 17," he exclaimed surprised.

Spike sat up straighter, his face showing signs of worry at being found out by even one of The Initiative… especially after hearing what they had done to The Slayer… a supposed ally, "No, I'm just a friend of Xander's," He said adopting the fake accent he'd put on last time, "Pfft." he muttered as he realised that he wasn't buying it, "Bugger it. I'm your guy," he admitted as he dropped the drawl for his natural English accent.

Buffy sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest, hiding her hands that had curled into fists as she couldn't seem to completely kick the desire to punch him, "This is Spike. He's um… it's a really long story… b-but uh, he's not bad anymore… just annoying,"

Spike jumped up off the stairs affronted and upset at Buffy's choice of words to explain why he wasn't dead, "Hey! What am I, a bleeding broken record?" He growled, "I'm bad it's just I can't bite anymore," he glared at Riley who was glancing from Spike to Buffy in confusion, "Thanks to you wankers," he grumbled, wishing that he could do some damage to Riley himself for being part of the organisation that put the bleeding bloody chip in his brain.

"We've been looking all over the place for him… but you've known where he's been all along," he said incredulously as he focused his gaze on Buffy, a frown darkening his face as he stared at her wondering just what was going on, "I don't understand, Buffy. I mean Angelus… I kind of get… but hostile 17… Spike… I thought you kill his kind… not babysit them?" he said incredulously as he tried to process.

Buffy frowned, her fisted hands tightening as she stared up at him, her anger building at the accusation in his tone and the desire to physically harm him grew… a dark spot inside of her whispering at her to unleash her fury on those who would seek to harm her.

That it was self-preservation 101.

"I don't really think that it is any of your business why I do what I do. You and your people lost the right to question any of my decisions or motivations when you locked me up and used me as a science project,"

"I saved you," Riley countered.

Buffy glowered up at him, "You were also the one who put me in there," Buffy took a breath, "I stopped Angelus from killing you. We're even,"

"What's he doing here?" Riley asked, pointing a finger at the vampire that was moving towards his jacket.

"Leaving you swabs to your dramatics, thanks. I've got my stories on the telly for that," Spike replied drawing the groups attention once again as he shrugged his jacket on and headed for the door. He paused by the door and turned back towards the room, "By the by, if you're trying to kill her, torture her whatever. Better do it quick it before her lover boy kills you all," he said before moving to pull his jacket up over his head to help protect him from the sun that was still high in the sky.

"Just get out of here Spike. And try and let the sun burn you on the way out," Buffy growled with a deep scowl.

Spike sneered at her and flipped her off, before opening the door and dashing out into the late afternoon sun.

Riley glanced around them all still trying to understand everything that was happening whilst the beginnings of what he could only imagine was a stress headache began to ach dully at his temples.

"Buffy what is this? Why are you hiding an H.S.T?"

Buffy gave him a stubborn look, "I told you, you don't get to ask me questions anymore," Buffy moved to walk past him only for Riley to grab for her arm.

Moving on instinct Buffy turned grabbing his wrist she pulled it off her and with a strong fluent move kicked him, sending him flying backwards.

"Don't touch me!" She snarled as she rubbed at her arm where Riley had dared to touch her after everything he had put her through.

Riley coughed as he slowly pulled himself up, his body aching from the blow like it had never done before, "Damn," He groaned as he slowly got to his feet.

Giles stepped towards Buffy, coming to stand beside her, "P-Perhaps whilst we've got Riley here we could question him," He suggested carefully, not wanting to set his Slayer off.

Buffy glanced over at Giles, before uncrossing her arms and tried to get her tense body to relax some, "Fine," She said as she turned away from Riley who was stilling looking at them with confusion, "You question Captain Commando, I'm going to go track Angelus down and hope he hasn't done anything to crazy," She informed them, half way to the door she turned back to look at them all.

"Don't forget to leave after you've finished. I'll meet you guys later," With that Buffy walked purposefully to the door and quickly left Giles condo leaving her friends to interrogate Riley.

Buffy closed the door behind her pausing by the door she allowed herself a moment to just take a breath.

She looked down at her hands she frowned slightly at seeing them tremble, closing her hands into fists once again for a moment before relaxing them, still seeing the fine tremor she tucked them out of sight for the moment as she took another deep breath and slowly released it, before she headed towards the one place where she knew Initiative guys would be…

UC Sunnydale's campus.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

A small boy played by himself with a silver armoured action figure doll. His bike propped up beside him as he happily played using his imagination.

A shadow fell over him causing him to look up and with all the bravery of a small child he stared up at the tall thing that towered over him.

"What am I?" Adam asked the child.

The boy stood and turned to face Adam completely, "You're a monster," The boy answered simply as he stared at the monster with curiosity, never having seen a real live monster before.

Not even in the movies had he seen a monster that looked so weird with the metal on his face and the meshing of thick green skin and normal human skin and mismatched arms.

"I thought so," Adam murmured a note of resignation in his voice as he spoke the words the small spark of humanity in him having hoped that he wasn't the monster that he appeared to be, and what his own thoughts lead him to believe.

Adam returned his gaze to the small boy that was still staring up at him with a brave curiosity, "What are you?" He asked.

"Me? I'm a boy," The young boy replied with a small shrug of his shoulders.

"A boy," Adam tested the words on his tongue, his curiosity rising, "How do you work?"

"I don' know. I just do," The boy answered with another shrug, his gaze falling to the monsters arms once again, this time catching sight of the bone skewer that was protruding from the monsters arm, "What's that for?" He asked with innocent curiosity.

Adam raised his arm looking at his wrist where the bone skewer was jutting from, a strange smile curling up his lips as he returned his gaze to the boy as a dark thought born of his thirst for knowledge crossed his mind.

The boy simply stared up at the monster expectantly waiting for the answer that the monster would give him. He was sure that the answer would be something awesome that would make all his friends jealous when he told his friends about meeting a real live monster.

*****B/Aus***B/Aus*****

Buffy walked up the steps to the Lowell house front door. She hesitated outside of it for a brief moment as she wondered if she could really go inside.

Possible carnage aside, most of the people if not all of them inside the house were attached to The Initiative… going inside could be like saying 'lock me up again please'.

Buffy took a breath a steeled herself, she was The Slayer. She could handle them! They had taken her by surprise last time and it wouldn't happen again!

Her hands trembled in a mixture of fear and anger as she raised them to open the door. Stepping inside the building she looked around the entrance hall, her expression blank for the most part except for a small frown that furrowed her brow as her gaze took in the sight of the blood splattered walls and the bodies of those that had been unfortunate enough to be inside the house when her lover had come a calling.

Her hands clenched into fists at her sides as she moved towards the few bodies she could see, walking into the open area, her expression didn't change as she took in the mass of bodies she could see scattered about the room and up the stairs and throughout the entire house she was sure.

Buffy observed the mess for a moment longer, before focusing her senses as she best she could, and after a moment she shook her head, "He's not here," She murmured, before turning from the room and walking back towards the exit, not wanting to stay a moment longer than she had to, she'd rather be far away from here when whoever had escaped Angelus' wrath so far came back to discover the carnage he had left behind.

Buffy stepped back out into the Californian sunshine, and felt a shiver run over her body as she realized that seeing the dead bodies of those belonging to The Initiative had eased something inside of her… almost making her feel glad that they were dead… that they had obviously suffered at Angelus' hands.

Buffy paused at the bottom of the steps, her frown deepening for a moment as she realized just what she was feeling in amongst the turbulent mix of emotions that had seized her since her 'stay' at The Initiative's base.

Taking a deep breath, Buffy continued on her way. She could mediate over what she was feeling later. Right now she had to track down her wayward lover, before he killed anyone else.

Buffy attempted to speed up her steps, but they still felt sluggish and reluctant to her as if her body was trying to give Angelus more time to track down others and do away with them before she caught him up.

_That mess in the house would have taken him a while, so he can't be too far away. I wasn't that far behind him._

As if in response to her thoughts she felt him on the edge of her senses and she changed her direction slightly so that she was moving directly towards him.

_Please let me get to him before The Initiative does!_

With that thought at the forefront of her mind Buffy's feet finally felt that they were moving properly and her speed picked up considerably.

She moved as quickly as she could through the thickening trees, batting some thin, weak low hanging branches out of her way in too much of a hurry to find Angelus to move around them. She paid no mind to the low hanging branches and shrubbery that batted her back for her careless run through the forested area. The tiny scratches that they left behind not concerning her in the slightest in her hurry to catch up to Angelus.

"Angelus!" Buffy called desperately, her voice sharp with desperation and panic as she caught a glimpse of the back of his black leather jacket as it disappeared deeper into the forest, heading for what she could only assume was the underground Initiative base.

She only glimpsed it for a brief moment though before it disappeared completely again, "Damn it," Buffy gasped, getting a little puffed as she worked her body a little harder in an effort to catch up.

Buffy jumped over a fallen branch and ran into a small clearing in the increasingly dense campus forest. She'd barely taken a couple of steps into it when the wind was almost completely knocked out of her as she collided with something solid… or perhaps something solid had collided with her.

It happened so fast it was hard for her to tell, but one moment she was moving with speed and the next she was being pressed up against the solid trunk of a tree… as if being shoved out of the way of something.

"Angelus, what are you doing?" Buffy asked as she felt his hands run down her arms and then do the same to her sides, amusement colouring her tone.

"The way you were hollering I thought you were in trouble," Angelus muttered with concern as he continued to check her over for injuries, "And then I scented your blood in the air," he voiced the reason he had stopped his pursuit.

"Oh, yeah," Buffy murmured as she placed her hands over his, stopping his inspection, "I wasn't really paying attention to all the shrubbery and stuff so I got a couple of scratches. That's all," she assured him, squeezing his hands in gratitude for his concern.

The feel of it and his affection for her in his touch doing something to sooth the invisible wound that The Initiative had left in her.

Angelus breathed out a deep sigh of relief and his shoulders slumped with the weight of it. He rested his forehead against hers for a brief moment before straightening up, "You shouldn't be so careless," he murmured.

"I kind of had more important things on my mind," Buffy retorted as Angelus released her arms.

Angelus frowned, "More important than your own safety? What would have happened if you'd run into any of those Initiative cowards?" he asked disapprovingly.

Buffy's hands clenched at her sides, "I would have handled it," she replied evasively, before turning the conversation back on her concern for him, "I saw what you did at the frat house," she told him softly.

Angelus' expression turned from concerned to arrogant and cocky. His trade mark smirk curling up his lips, "What did you expect? For me to greet them with hugs and kisses, after what they did to you they should be grateful that they didn't suffer more," he said with malice, "Maggie Walsh will though. I promise she'll suffer the most for her audacity," he promised darkly.

"And what do you really expect to be able to achieve?" Buffy asked seriously, "Do you really think that you're going to be able to get near, Maggie Walsh?"

Angelus clenched his hands into fists and gritted his teeth as he looked in the direction of the base, "What do you want me to do? Just let what they did to you slide? I'm sorry, Kitten but I just don't work that way,"

"You think I don't want to see them all dead? I do. I want them to suffer for the days that I was held in that place, for everything that they made me do, what they took from me," Buffy enquired as she took a determined step towards him.

Angelus brought his gaze back to her, "I know that no matter how much you may want to, that you wouldn't allow yourself to take a path of bloody vengeance," he conceded, his fingers intertwining with hers as he stared at her delicate fingers with a slight furrowing of his brow, "Which is why I have to. No one is going to take you away from me, not a demon, not a vampire and sure as hell not a squad of Government military wannabes, playing at demon hunter," Angelus growled darkly.

Buffy looked down at their joined hands and swallowed thickly at the blood she could see splatted over his pale skin. She felt calm at the sight, a swelling in her chest that resembled satisfaction, knowing that some of the Initiative had suffered. It didn't matter that most of them probably had nothing to do with it and others whom might have had nothing to do with it…

She just couldn't bring herself to care like she probably should, "You go in there," she began as she looked up from their joined hands to meet his gaze, "I go in after you when you don't come out,"

Angelus scowled, "I don't want you going anywhere near that place,"

"That's an opinion we share," Buffy re-joined, her gaze steady and resolute as she stared her lover down.

Angelus gritted his teeth, "They need to understand that they can't get away with harming you,"

"And they will," Buffy assured him.

Angelus shook his head, "What are you going to do, Buff? Sass them into submission?" He mocked, some of his old cruelty resurfacing in response to his aggravation.

Buffy released his hand and took a step back from him, a vulnerable look flashed across her face for a brief moment making Angelus regret his harshly spoken words. Before he could smooth over the edges, Buffy spoke again.

"Fine, go off and storm the freakin' castle of the loony military brigade," Buffy shot back with a wave of her arm, "Slaughter a dozen, two dozen of them," Buffy said as Angelus backed off a few steps and turned to walk away, "But when they Taser with their little electro pulse gun thing-y's and lock you in one of their itty bitty hospital smelling painfully white cells and start preforming their experiments on you. Know that I'll be coming for you, with my sass, stake and mean right hook," she called after him.

Angelus' stride faltered for the briefest of moments and for that moment, Buffy thought that he might turn back around, but he kept on walking.

Buffy pursed her lips as she watched him for a moment, before she turned away, her body trembling finely and her legs felt weak and unsteady with every step she took that lead her further and further away from her lover who was walking into a death trap.

_I should have known that he wouldn't change his mind. Maybe he'll succeed, but if he does what does that say about me that I'm not kicking his ass and dragging him back to his man cave until I can knock some sense into him._

Buffy thought dismally as she trudged away with slumped shoulders.

***O*O*O***

Buffy stood by her bed, her back to the door as she shoved some clothes and necessities that were needed for a sleep over. Her movements were agitated as she stuffed the items in one by one, her chest feeling tight and heavy as she imagined just what Angelus was up to in The Initiative if he'd managed to get into the high security secret base.

_If anyone can bust in its' Angelus,_ Buffy thought and heaved a great sigh that raised her shoulders.

She paused in her packing as she felt familiar eyes on her and a large shadow blocked the door, "I thought you were gone," she said a little stiffly as she kept her eyes on the open bag.

"So did I," Angelus agreed from the doorway. His arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the doorframe.

Buffy gave a short nod, "What took you so long?" she asked as she packed the last item she needed; her toothbrush.

"I had to stop by the mansion and pick something up," he replied.

Buffy grasped the strap of her overnight bag and turned to face him as she lifted it off the bed, "What was so important that you couldn't tell me that you'd decided not to be a testosterone overloaded fool first?"

"This," Angelus replied and tossed a small device he had been holding in her direction.

Buffy frowned as the object flew through the air to her. She caught the small device with her free hand with relative ease and looked down at it, "You bought me a cell phone?" she murmured a little surprised.

"I bought two actually. One for you, one for me," Angelus replied as he held up his own colour of the same phone, "I'm speed dial 1,"

Buffy smiled as she looked down at the small device in her hand, "You didn't waste any time, did you?"

Angelus shrugged as he stepped into the dorm room, "I'm not going to take any chances on your safety Buff. I don't want to not be able to contact you again," he paused as he swallowed thickly, "The night before I realized you were missing… I had this feeling that something was wrong. I…"

Angelus trailed off as Buffy pressed a finger to his lips.

"Don't you dare," she said firmly, "It was the thought that you would be coming for me that kept me going after I was drugged and tired and hunted through artificial woods,"

Angelus growled lowly in the back of his throat at the images that ran through his head, "Walsh is going to regret the day she ever laid eyes on you," he swore as he grabbed Buffy's hand by the wrist and flicked his tongue over the single digit Buffy had pressed against his lips.

The action made a shiver run up Buffy's spine, before a small gasp escaped past her lips when Angelus nipped the pad of her finger with blunt human teeth.

"I love you Angelus," she murmured, the words spilling past her lips. A soft exhalation of air escaped her when Angelus used his grip on her wrist to pull her up against him.

His lips to hers in a passionate, desperate kiss that had Buffy clutching at him at the depth of emotions they were sharing as their mouths moved together, "Do we have time? Or are you planning on running off in a hurry?"

Buffy pulled in a steadying breath as she tried to get her thoughts in some kind of coherent order, "Hmm, I don't think even the end of the world could make me run out right now," she murmured huskily as her hands, that had been creasing the leather of his black jacket slid inside it and up his chest towards his shoulders. She slid the jacket down his shoulders and Angelus let it fall carelessly to the floor.

In that moment Buffy didn't care if she was supposed to be doing something else. She needed this needed to feel him all around her, inside her, engulfing her in his presence. His presence allowed her to feel a sense of security, something she hadn't had whilst being at the mercy of Maggie Walsh. Now that she was safe she needed him and from what she could tell. Angelus needed her to, needed that final certainty that she was really here, really back with him now that the drugs weren't attacking her body.

Buffy's eyes closed and a moan escaped her as she felt Angelus' cool fingers trace softly over her throat and neck, ghosting over her collar bone and rubbing a gentle pattern over the strong pulse point in her throat. She arched her neck giving his fingers more room to work their magic over her skin.

Her fingers moved along the dark green silk shirt undoing the buttons with a practised ease; the motions familiar to her now. Buffy's mouth lavished attention on the exposed cool pale flesh and she smiled in feminine pride when Angelus rumbled out a moan in response to her ministrations.

Angelus slid his fingers down her throat, his free hand slid up her stomach and Buffy expelled a warm breath against his chest as his hands cupped her breasts firmly before sliding around her sides and down her back.

He squeezed the firm rounded globes of her ass, before hooking his fingers around the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over her head. He tossed it aside and buried his hands in Buffy's mussed hair and urged her into a kiss as he began nudging them towards the bed they were standing beside.

Buffy sat down on the edge of her bed and looked up at Angelus from underneath her lashes as her hands settled on the belt that was securing the leather around his waist. Her fingers worked quickly in completing her task and the snaps to his pants were quick to follow.

She lowered her hands to her own pants, wanting to be divested of the material as quickly as possible.

She had gotten the button undone when Angelus' hands encircled her own and pulled them away as he sat beside her on the bed, "You're moving too quick for me there lover," he murmured teasingly, "Leave me something to uncover," he purred before pressing a swift kiss to her lips.

Angelus trailed kisses down her cheek and throat, paying particular attention to a spot just below her ear that never failed to have her press against him and one of those sweet little sounds of pleasure whispering from her lips.

Slowly Buffy lay back against the bed, her back arching up into Angelus as he trailed kisses down her collar bone and across her chest.

Angelus pulled the lacy cup of her bra down and captured the puckered nipple between his lips. Buffy gasped hotly her hands coming up to tangle her hands in the soft short stands of his hair, her hips already arching off the bed to rub against him in wanton anticipation.

Angelus' hands trailed soft, teasing caresses down her sides before his fingers hooked around the waistband of Buffy's pants and slid them down her hips.

Buffy raked her nails down Angelus back and soothed the abused the skin with the pads of her fingers. A pleasured moan escaping her as she rocked her hips against the hard ridge of Angelus' naked arousal.

"Easy, kitten. Patience," Angelus teased warmly against the warm flesh of her breast.

Buffy clutched at his shoulders digging her nails in, "I don't have any left!" she growled, before switching their positions with a strong roll of her hips, settling herself on top of him and with a slightly awkward movement impaled herself on his engorged shaft.

Angelus groaned his hands clutched about her hips as Buffy began rocking above him. The mattress springs squeaking beneath them as Angelus thrust his hips up to meet every one of hers.

The sounds of their panted moans and flesh slapping against flesh the only sounds to be heard in the dorm room. The troubles they shared melting away as they sought solace in each other's pleasure.

***O*O*O***

Riley wandered the campus without any purpose; his feet just shuffling him through the night. The gloom of which seemed to be pressing down on him, making the weight of his shattered world view seem heavier.

Everything he'd thought he'd known seemed to have come unravelled in just a matter of days and everything he had heard – been questioned about since then hadn't done anything to help.

The looks he had been given by those in Rupert Giles house were the looks people gave to those whom were associated with those on the wrong side of the law. He'd never thought of himself as a bad guy.

He was a good guy. He'd always been a good guy, fighting the good fight, wanting to serve his country. He'd been thrilled… honoured when he'd been one of the few singled out to join the special assignment attached to Professor Maggie Walsh. Only to find that the job he'd been having so much fun with, had been so proud of, would order the torture of an innocent woman who's job wasn't so different from theirs.

Riley shook his head and frowned darkly as he passed a couple sitting on a bench. Things didn't seem right about all this! How could he have been so wrong about everything? How could someone be so wrong about the path they had chosen to go down? How could he have been so wrong about the people he was working with, good people. But good people didn't order or have no questions about the torture of a woman who was so full of life and had so much life ahead of her.

A student with a backpack slung over his shoulder passed him, but he paid no attention as he continued to trudge along wondering what he should do, if he could or should do anything. He had been a leader, but how good of a leader could he have been when he'd had no idea what had been going on right under his nose. Hadn't even thought to ask about it, he just followed orders. That's where he was comfortable.

***O*O*O***

Willow, Anya and Xander sat against the back of the made up pull out bed their eyes glued to the old movie screen whilst Giles stood by the sink fiddling with a kettle in an attempt to brew himself some tea to help sooth his nerves and aggravation at being forced to even just spend a night in the dank basement that Xander called home.

He really didn't see how the boy put up with it! And the smell! The slight dank mouldy smell was horrible! And the three now young adults sitting quiet comfortably on the couch a bowl of popcorn Xander's lap as he sat between the girls, were quiet happily ignoring his sniffs of indignation.

Willow pulled her gaze from the late night movie that they were watching and looked at the stairwell and then the door that led out to the Harris' backyard, "Where do you think Buffy is? You don't think she got in trouble with The Initiative again, do you?" she asked worriedly.

Anya shrugged, "Doubtful. She'd probably off bonking Angelus," she said a little wistfully still rather put out that her romantic night with Xander was being interrupted by unwanted guests. Even if those guests were supposed to be friends.

"What's with that tone?" Xander asked as he gave his girlfriend a suspicious look, "You don't think that… you don't want…"

Anya shrugged, "No well… maybe… he is good looking, but I've got you. So I don't need him. I much prefer my stable boring boyfriend. I've had enough unstable relationship to know a keeper when I have one," she said as she snuggled into his side.

Xander still looked a little disgruntled but was satisfied enough to wrap an arm around his girlfriend and fix his eyes back on the TV just as the movie cut to an emergency news broadcast that drew even Giles attention from the brewing of his tea.

"Horror rocked the UC Sunnydale Campus this afternoon as residents of the Lowell house were found slaughtered in their home. The local police haven't got any leads so far…"

"Well, I guess Buffy didn't get to Angelus in time to stop him from doing something crazy," Xander muttered as he lowered the volume of the TV.

Anya shrugged again, "I think it's romantic," she said earning looks from everyone in the basement, "What? It's true from a vengeance demon prospective. This is nothing more than righteous justice being served," Anya said with a careless gesture at the TV.

The basement fell silent after that except for the low murmur of the TV, Giles, Xander and Willow all just a little too uncomfortable with just how much they agreed with Anya in this instance. After a long moment Willow cleared her throat, "Well let's hope Buffy got to Angelus before he could do anything else," she finally said breaking the awkward silence.

Giles cleared his throat and coughed, "Ah yes, let's hope,"

"Yeah," Xander spoke up as well.

"Well, I hope Angelus kills them all," Anya stated with a shrug and gave the others a 'what?' look when they stared at her incredulously.

***O*O*O***

Doctor Engelman opened the door to the laboratory 314. He moved to flick on the light only to frown when the light didn't come on. He tried the switch a couple times with the same result. He sighed and resisted the urge to curse. Nothing seemed to be going right these days and it had all started the moment The Slayer had stepped onto the scene. Everything had started going downhill the moment Agent Finn had taken a more serious interest in the small blond.

"Doctor Walsh?" he called as he stepped into the laboratory, closing the door behind him slowly, highly conscious of the security risks of leaving the door open to a laboratory with such sensitive information inside, "Adam?" he called at seeing the work table empty as he moved further into the lab.

Engelman took another step and slipped on something wet. He landed with a harsh thud. He winced and frowned in confusion at the feel of something wet beneath his hands, lifting up so that he could examine them his eyes widen in surprise at seeing the red of blood in the dim gloom. He moved his gaze past his hands looking for the source. A terrified tremor had his body shaking like a leaf as he moved to scramble back from the sight of Doctor Walsh lying in a pool of her own blood.

He couldn't see her face but he knew it was her. No one else was allowed access to this particular lab and he'd known the woman for years. Had worked with her and now she was dead… Engelman worked to keep his dinner in his stomach as the smell of her dead body reached his nose and the feel of her blood on his hands made the task harder.

***O*O*O***

Giles groaned as light flashed across his eyes, reflecting from the large mirror ball that was hanging from the basement ceiling. The sound of voices and the TV making his aching head ach all that much harder. Reluctantly he opened his eyes and forced himself to stand, his back aching from the horrible plastic device that was a horrible excuse for a chair.

"Must we have the noise," he groaned as he pushed aside the blanket that had been strung up over the makeshift clothes line hung across the ceiling to give the women some privacy, "My head is splitting," he grumbled as he shuffled over to the TV and turned off the irritating sound of the early morning cartoons.

"Well, look whose cranky bear in the morning," Willow teased as she turned her attention from the now off TV to The ex-Watcher.

"Yes I can't imagine why I didn't sleep well in my beach ball," Giles muttered as he rubbed his neck hoping to ease the crick there.

"Every time you moved it made squeaky noises," Anya grumbled right back at him, "It was irritating,"

"Really, I'm surprised you could hear it over your Wagnerian snoring," Giles shot back in no mood to even attempt being civil.

"Ok," Willow intervened calmly, "Take a breath you two. It's too early in the morning for you to be arguing,"

"Sorry," Anya replied grudgingly as she pulled her knees up to her chest under the blankets.

"Sorry," Giles mumbled, the words almost indistinguishable.

Willow nodded her satisfaction, "Good," she glanced around, "Buffy never showed up last night,"

Anya rested her chin against her knees, "I wonder what she and Angelus got up to last night,"

Giles choked on his own saliva and coughed whilst he struggled to regain himself, "Uh, I uh, I'd rather not, thank you very much," he gasped out as he took his glasses off his nose and began awkwardly cleaning the lenses.

Xander came down the stairs as fast as he could whilst carrying the large breakfast tray that was laden down with food and a pitcher of orange juice.

"Turn on the TV. Now!" he urged urgently.

Willow manoeuvred to the end of the bed and turned on the TV once again before getting comfortable against the back of the pulled out couch once again.

All four were silent as they listened to the news broadcast once again, horror striking in their hearts as the reporter got further and further into her report.

***O*O*O***

Riley stood at a fair distance from the front of Lowell house, his gaze focused on the yellow tape that was barring the front door. His expression was solemn, he'd been out all night just walking, thinking. He wouldn't even know about what had happened if it wasn't for the talk of students. He didn't even know who'd died in the massacre of his home. He had a fair idea who might be behind it and as much as he didn't agree with or even like what he was… he kind of understood. If Buffy was his girl… he'd probably want to do something similar… but whether he'd actually do it was another question entirely.

"Hey man," Forrest greeted as he approached his friend, a fresh bandage covering his reset nose, "I thought I'd find you somewhere around here," He looked up at the house, "It's a horrible thing so much wasted life," he said solemnly.

Riley took a breath, his hands clenching into fists at his sides, "What makes you think that I'd want to see you right now," he gritted out from between clenched teeth.

"I know that you're pissed man, but Walsh has her reasons. That Buffy girl is bad news and Professor Walsh knows that," Forrest told him firmly.

Riley turned towards him his hands clenched into fists at his sides, "How? How does she know that? It seemed to me that all she wanted to do was cause Buffy pain for no reason,"

"Listen to you man. You know Walsh, you know her better than anyone. Do you really think that Walsh would do something for no reason?" Forrest asked incredulously, before pointing up at their home, "Look at what that bitch did? Would a good person massacre a house full of her co-eds?"

Riley looked up at his home, "We have no proof that Buffy had anything to do with this tragedy," he denied.

"Come on man! I know you've got a little sick crush for the girl, but damn. The girl gets out and within a day our men are dead, killed on our own turf, taken completely unaware," Forrest growled a dark frown furrowing his brow.

Riley remained silent for a moment, he wanted to believe, but what he'd seen. What he'd heard… told him otherwise… it would be so easy to just believe… and Buffy… Buffy was with a vampire… though he didn't really think that that was her fault…

Before Riley could formulate his response Graham walked over to them, having been looking for them.

"Guys," he greeted a solemn look on his face.

"Not now," Forrest and Riley said at almost the exact same time.

Forrest took a second look at Graham when the man didn't back down, "What is it?" he asked grudgingly.

"Professor Walsh is dead," Graham informed them.

Riley's brain stopped as the words registered, not sure he believed what he was hearing and then everything came flooding back.

"How? When?" he asked urgently.

"Last night. That's all I know. To find out more we've got to come in and report to Englemen," Graham replied and the three started walking towards the taped off building, intent on sneaking in past the few police and CSI's that where still wandering about the place looking for clues.

***O*O*O***

Willow glanced over at Xander, Anya and Giles as they came abreast of the Crawford Street mansion.

Xander swallowed a little nervously as he frowned up at the mansion, "Are you guys sure that we can't just tell Buffy the next time we see her?" he grumbled.

Giles reached out and grasped the handle of the front door, "Buck up Xander, I'm sure none of us really want to be back inside this mansion," he said as he pushed open the unlocked door.

"Yeah, but do we even really know that they are in the mansion?" Xander grumbled as he reluctantly followed Giles into the mansion.

"Where else would Angelus take her?" Willow asked as she stepped into the mansion after Anya.

"I don't know a nice dank crypt?" Xander said sarcastically.

Anya shook her head in disagreement, "Unlikely. Angelus prefers a higher kind of lifestyle… like this mansion," she breathed as she took her first look inside the mansion she had only heard about up until now.

The four fell silent as they became aware of noises coming from above them. After a moment three of them flushed darkly as they realized just what the sounds were. Giles took off his glasses and religiously cleaned his glasses with a single minded focus wishing that his hearing was as bad as his eyesight.

Xander frowned down at his shoes, "How could she? After he's just killed a whole bunch of people," he grumbled darkly.

Anya shrugged, "Making up for lost time," she grasped Xander's arm and squeezed, "Like we could have been doing if we didn't have to play host,"

Xander flushed and Willow cleared her throat.

"Oh," Anya muttered with a frown as she took in the looks aimed her way, "Uh and it was a pleasure to have you stay," she got out without any sincerity and a forced smile.

Giles coughed, "Well I uh… I suppose we just have to uh… have to wait for them to finish," he stuttered awkwardly as a particularly loud moan echoed down from the stairs.

"Oh yeah, that's going to be bounds of fun," Xander muttered as he took a seat on the only couch in the large room.

Anya heaved a sigh and sat down beside him, "At least they're having fun," she muttered, before turned a hopeful gaze to Xander, "We could find a spare room," she suggested.

"Uh no," Xander rejected the idea quickly with a nervous glance over at his friends.

Anya pouted and flounced up off the couch, "Why not?! We were supposed to be able to have sex all night and now even Buffy's having sex and she's supposed to be doing something about The Initiative," she yelled at her boyfriend causing him to flush darkly once again.

Willow and Giles studiously avoided each other's gazes as they took their own turns at studying their shoes and doing their best to pretend that they hadn't heard another of Anya's overshares.

***O*O*O***

Buffy laughed as Angelus grabbed her about the waist and pulled her back across his bed, "Why are you getting dressed?" he asked in a husky murmur.

Buffy pressed a quick kiss to his lips, before pulling back as Angelus' lips chased hers, "Because its morning and I should really check in and let Giles know that I'm ok,"

"That's what the cell phones for," Angelus reminded her.

"And, I swear that I can hear someone down stairs. And don't tell me you can't," Buffy replied before Angelus could voice his next persuasive argument.

"They'll wait," he persisted as he planted heated kisses across her bare shoulder, moving towards the column of her neck.

"Isn't that… oh… isn't that kinda rude?" Buffy said breathily, her head arching back despite herself.

"It's rude of them to drop by uninvited," he countered.

Buffy let out a soft short laugh, "Oh and just how was anyone supposed to contact you to ask before last night?"

Angelus shrugged and caressed a hand up her side so that he could cup her breast. Buffy moaned and leaned back against him as his fingers encircled her puckering nipple, tweaking it between his fingers.

A knock sounded at the door making Angelus growl in annoyance as Buffy became rigid in his arms.

"Uh, um, Buffy… are you uh… are you decent?" Giles voice came uncertainly through the door.

"No!" Angelus growled at the door as Buffy practically bolt from his arms and threw on the closest thing she could find.

"Yes," she told Giles hurriedly a faint flush darkening her cheeks at realizing that it was Giles that she had heard down stairs.

At the sound of her voice the door opened and Giles peeked into the room cautiously, before stepping in with a little more confidence.

Buffy's flush deepened as Willow, Xander and Anya crowded in behind her father figure, "Uh, hi guys… what's up?" she asked awkwardly as she felt Angelus lie back against the bed in defeat at the unwanted interruption.

"Except for breaking and entering that is," Angelus muttered as he gazed at Buffy's back. He reached out a hand and slipped it underneath the silk shirt Buffy had slipped on to cover herself, his fingers tracing along the warm skin of her lower back. A smile curled up his lips as he felt her shiver underneath his touch and lean back into it.

Giles cleared his throat as he gathered his thoughts, "Uh, a murder,"

"You mean at the Lowell house?" Buffy murmured a little uncomfortably, suddenly more aware then before at her lack of emotion in regard to the massacre.

Giles adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, but Xander spoke before he could, "No, we're not talking about your boyfriends massacre," he sneered.

Willow elbowed Xander harshly in the ribs and gave him a disapproving look, whilst Anya turned a glare on the novice Wiccan.

"A boy," Giles clarified making Buffy frown in concern, "Yes, I didn't think you would have heard about it. It was on the news a little earlier. According to the coroner's office the boy was stabbed with some kind of large skewer and his body was then uh, mutilated," Giles recalled the news report

Buffy frowned down at her knees before looking back up at Giles, "You don't think The Initiative had something to do with this do you?"

Angelus sat up, a frown of his own darkening his brow, "Killed with a skewer, you said," he stated as he stared intently at Giles, who nodded in response. His lips pursed slightly.

"Why, you got an old buddy that like to kill kids with skewers?" Xander spat as he glared at Angelus, feeling safe to do so with Willow, Giles and Buffy in the room with him.

Angelus shot Xander an impatient look, "I might do, but she prefers skinning irritating, impudent boys alive," he shot back making Xander gulp and look down at his toes furiously.

Buffy rolled her eyes, "Enough, the both of you," she demanded before angling herself on the bed so that she could look at Angelus, "What were you going to say?"

"Recently I heard word of a Polgara demon in town, only for it to vanish like other demons have been doing lately," Angelus replied, "It defends itself and kills its prey with skewers that protrude from their arms when threatened,"

"Disappeared," Buffy murmured, "You mean The Initiative bagged it and now it's loose again?"

Giles sighed, "That dragon woman must have sent it after you," he muttered.

Buffy swallowed thickly, "And it got distracted... God," she muttered guiltily.

"Buffy, it's not your fault," Willow assured her softly, "How could you know?" she attempted to sooth as Anya nodded her agreement.

Buffy shook her head, "I should have hazarded a guess that Walsh wouldn't let things stand as they are. That she wouldn't care if someone else got hurt in the crossfire," her hands clenched into fists over her lap.

"Willow's right. You mustn't blame yourself," Giles attempted to sooth, his piercing blue eyes taking in the subtle angry tremble in Buffy's body.

Xander looked up from his feet and nodded his agreement with what Giles had said; unable to bring himself to voice his opinion through the disappointment and anger he was feeling towards Buffy and Angelus in that moment. He still couldn't understand how Buffy could so willingly bed a ruthless killer.

Buffy looked up from her knees, "I'm not going to. I'm going to the crime scene to see what I can find out," she said firmly, not seeing the disapproving look Angelus sent in her direction as she got to her feet, "You guys research the Polgara demon. I want to know where it is. When I find it I'm going to make him pay for taking that kid's life, I'll make him die in ways he can't even imagine," she vowed with a determined expression.

She noticed their gazes focused on her state of dress and flushed slightly, before looking back up to meet their gazes, "That probably would have sounded more commander-y if I wasn't wearing Angelus' shirt,"

Willow and Anya nod. Xander couldn't help but stare and Giles pulled off his glasses to clean the already spotless lenses once again.

After a moment when none of them moved Buffy gave them all a look, "Uh, kind of need to get dressed here guys,"

"Oh right, yes o-of course," Giles stuttered as he slid his glasses back over his eyes.

Willow nodded, "We'll meet you downstairs, Buffy," she murmured as she and the others turned towards the door.

"Please hurry. I'd like to get home and have sex with Xander," Anya said over her shoulder.

"Oh yes, cause that's a motivator," Angelus grumbled as he threw the blankets off himself as the door closed behind a flushing Xander's back.

Buffy's lips curled up in a small smile, "Now be nice, Anya's still adjusting,"

Angelus walked over to her and Buffy had to focus on keeping her gaze focused on his face so that she wouldn't find herself getting distracted, "You've got me all wrong Buff. I actually don't mind Anyanka. She makes the brat uncomfortable with every second sentence," he said with a smirk.

Buffy smiled turned sardonic, "Of course, that's why you like her. What is it with you two, some kind of macho pissing contest?" she asked teasingly.

Angelus rolled his eyes, "Xander macho? We are talking about the same Harris twerp, right? The boy bugs me, that's all," he stated flippantly with a nonchalant shrug. He glanced down at her, "Say, weren't you getting dressed? Not that I mind you wearing nothing, but my shirt… I prefer nothing," he husked with a sexy grin that flashed his pearly whites.

"Uh, yeah… where'd my clothes end up?" she asked as she swept her gaze about the room.

"Scattered around," Angelus replied with a shrug, "I wasn't really paying that much attention to them. I was focused on what was hidden beneath them," he murmured huskily.

Buffy felt heat rush through her, making her core clench, "Uh right, well uh… I'll shower,"

_Cold, cold shower._ She silently amended.

Angelus smiled as he watched Buffy retreat, the heady sent of her arousal underneath the scent of sex that was thick on both of them, allowing him to guess at her thoughts. He couldn't seem to keep his hands off her now that he had her back within his reach. Even now after just having finished exploring her body, his hands itched to touch her again and his mouth longed to taste her again.

_Pace yourself lad. You've got a lifetime to enjoy her warmth._ He thought with amusement as the pipes hummed with the rushing sound of water.

A while later Buffy shrugged a jacket she had packed in her overnight bag up over her shoulders when the bathroom door opened and Angelus stepped out of the steam and back into the room. Buffy swallowed as she stood frozen for a brief moment, her eyes feasting on the sight of him in nothing but a towel. His body still dripping cooling water.

Buffy smiled and moved towards him, "Ooh, wet Angelus," she murmured in a soft husk. The fingers of one hand traced over a pectoral muscle, following the trail of drop of water. She leaned in closer to him and licked up the neglected pectoral.

Buffy hummed out a soft moan against his chest, "Mm, wet Angelus, yummy,"

"Careful, Kitten. Keep that up and we'll be well on our way to getting dirty again," Angelus murmured as his hands came up to rest on her sides.

"How do you expect me to be able to resist when you come out looking all naked and drippy," Buffy murmured.

Angelus hands tightened around her sides slightly, a rumbling groan echoing from his throat, "I could just bend you over," he said huskily. His hands trailed up over her back, slipping his fingers under the layers of clothes she was now wearing.

"Mmm," Buffy moaned, her hazel eyes darkening with desire for the demon before her once again, "Raincheck?" she offered as she reluctantly pulled away from him. She had a Polgara demon that needed putting down before it killed anyone else.

Buffy turned for the door, only to look back at Angelus as he grasped her arm, pulling her up short.

"Wait a moment more Buff. I need to get dressed," Angelus murmured as he released her arm.

Buffy turned around to face him again, "You want to come with me?"

Angelus gave her a look, "You're surprised?"

Buffy shrugged a little, "Crime scene snoopage doesn't really seem like your thing," she excused her surprise.

"If Walsh did send that Polgara after you. Initiative idiots will be all over it," Angelus replied as he moved towards his wardrobe to get fresh clothes.

Buffy's hands began to tremble, so she clenched them into fists at her sides, "I can handle myself,"

Angelus nodded as he pulled out a blood red silk shirt, "I know you can," he assured her, "But you can't… won't kill humans and they have guns Buff. And they won't show the same kind of mercy you will,"

Buffy frowned, "You think I'd show my kidnappers mercy?"

Angelus shrugged as he pulled on his pants, "You won't kill them and that in itself is a mercy they won't have," he growled softly as he turned back around to face his girl, "And I won't let them. I'll kill them all first," he promised darkly.

Buffy looked down at her hands for a moment a shiver running through her in dread of being locked in that little cell again waiting until she died by a demons hands or their drugs. She returned her gaze to Angelus, "You ready to go?" she asked as he finished doing up his shirt.

Angelus grabbed his jacket and moved to his shoes, "Yep," he answered when he'd finished putting them on and the two walked out the bedroom door.

***O*O*O***

Riley stood with his arms crossed, a solemn frown darkening his brow. His tormented eyes regarding Walsh's body not sure what he should be feeling as he stared at the woman who had in some aspects that had become like a surrogate mother to him over his time in the unit. The woman he thought he knew would never hurt an innocent person and yet she had.

Riley raised a hand to rub his temples. His head was killing him. It had started to hurt hours ago and it was starting to get worse. He caught a glimpse of the palm of his hand and became aware that they were clammy with cold sweat.

Forrest came up behind him a look of cold anger on his face as he stared at Walsh's dead body, "Look at that wound. She's been staked, wouldn't you say brother?" he stated coolly, a dangerous edge to his voice.

Riley frowned harder and turned his gaze to the man that he considered… or had considered his closest friend. He wasn't sure what he considered Forrest to be to him at the moment, "What?"

Forrest raised a brow at Riley, "Only one person I can think of that who could do something like that,"

Riley shook his head, "Buffy - Buffy's not like that Forrest. If you had ever taken the chance to look beyond her ass, you'd know that. We don't know a person did this - the Polgara demon has skewers," he suggested as he turned from Walsh's body and headed across the hall.

Forrest followed after him and shook his head adamantly, "No way man that's you're would be girlfriend's M.O," he sneered.

Riley swung around and grabbed Forest's shirt, "That's a serious accusation. You better be ready to deal with the consequences," he growled, his heart pounded in his chest and his body trembled subtly as something that felt like adrenaline coursed made him feel agitated and aggressive and with a sudden movement shoved Forrest.

Forrest shoved Riley back, unable to stand that fact that his best friend was choosing a girl that didn't even want him over his best friend, "Bring 'em on. That supernatural freak has blinded you and I'm sick of it," he growled, "She's turned you into something you're not Finn. You never questioned the job until you met her,"

"That's enough," Riley ordered.

Engelman took a step towards them, their argument drawing unwanted attention that made him nervous. Not everyone in the unit knew about the more sensitive side of what they did and it needed to stay that way, "Stand back men. Show some respect," he demanded and succeeded in making the two look shamefaced if not still riled up, "Listen, everybody's upset but arguing isn't going to help anything and it's certainly not what Professor Walsh would want,"

"No sir," Riley agreed his hands going behind his back, falling back into what he was familiar with.

Engelman nodded, "Alright, good. Now Washington is sending in a team to do an internal investigation. I've been told we have to wait for their word," he relayed as he observed Riley closely, not sure how the man would react. It had hardly been a full day since he had walked out on them.

Riley frowned, his muscles tensing, "What do you mean wait? This has to be the work of the Polgara demon we captured last week," he stated, ignoring the way Forrest looked at him and shifted in annoyance.

Engelman nodded, completely comfortable in the lie. Neither of the two soldier's standing before him had the clearance to know about Adam, "Probably. It looks like last night the Polgara escaped through tunnel 72," he informed them, addressing them like he would for any other mission.

Riley clenched his hands into tight fists, "It's out loose somewhere?"

Engelman nodded, "I'm afraid so," he agreed.

Riley shifted his stance, "Then we have to go after it," he decided. No matter what she had slipped into Walsh was still his commanding officer and deserved justice.

Engelman shook his head, "My orders from Washington are for a total lock down until they arrive," he took in the stone-y looks he was receiving from the two men, "I'm sorry. Now, go to your emergency quarters. There's nothing you can do here," he ordered, before he walked back down the hall.

Riley stood still for a moment, before he turned to Forrest, "Gather the team," he ordered.

Forrest smiled, "Yes sir," he said with a small solute before hurrying off down the hall.

Ten minutes later Riley stood before his team, their attention completely focused on their leader, "Listen. Engelman can talk all he wants, but I'm still in charge 'til the brass gets here and tells me otherwise and I say we've got a demon to hunt. Now suit up for armed patrol and by that I mean loaded guns, men. Target practice is over. We're gunning for blood,"

***O*O*O***

Forrest and Graham enter a large old crypt. Almost breaking down the door with their zeal. Forrest prowled around the crypt with obvious frustrated aggravation at finding it empty, "Somebody's been staying here," he stated.

Graham nodded his agreement, "What do you think, a homeless guy?" he asked.

Forrest frowned as he swept his gaze around the crypt once again, before settling his gaze back on his friend, "Could be - or a squatter of the demon variety," he suggested, his hands shifting around his high voltage weapon.

"Not the Polgara," Graham observed pointedly.

Forrest frowned, "Who cares? I see a demon - it dies." He practically growled.

Graham didn't bother even trying to contradict his friend. He couldn't exactly say that he disagreed with the death of any demon, but he couldn't say that he completely agreed with the look in Forrest's eyes. It was more than a little scary. He set his hand against the top of the TV and he met Forrest's eyes again and said quietly, "It's warm,"

Forrest nodded at the covered stone coffin and the two moved for it, slinging their guns over their shoulders so that they'd have both hands free for the job. They removed the cover with a strong shove, letting the heavy lid fall to the dirty stone floor with a loud clatter they both look inside only to find bones and an age worn black dress.

"Damn," Forrest cursed vehemently and turned away from the coffin. He followed Graham towards the door; who'd handled the disappointment with more grace. When he passed the still warm TV he couldn't help, but vent his frustration by smashing the butt of his gun into the screen.

"Animals!" he muttered as he walked out the door.

Once he heard the sound of the crypt door shutting behind the two goons he'd only just heard in time to hide. Spike peeked his fingers out from under the hem of the black dress and let out a sigh of relief to find them completely gone.

"Sodden pricks," he muttered as he observed the damage done to his telly.

***O*O*O***

Buffy stood at the crest of a hill by a dirt road, her arms crossed as she observed the taped off crime scene policemen still examining it. Beside her Angelus stood calmly, completely unaffected by the sight of the small black body bag being wheeled to the ambulance that was parked on the road just outside the yellow tape.

His gaze flicked about the surrounding area, keeping an eye out for anything that even looked like someone from The Initiative.

Buffy's hands tightened over her arms as she watched the small body bag disappear into the back of the ambulance, "The boy's parents must be so confused,"

Angelus lowered his gaze to Buffy a small frown darkening his brow.

"I mean they're never going to get any kind of decent answer for what's happened. They'll always be completely in the dark over what happened to their kid and why," Buffy murmured solemnly.

"Stop it,"

Buffy tore her gaze from the scene bellow to frown up at Angelus, "Stop what?"

"I know that look. You've got nothing to feel guilty about. This is all Maggie Walsh's fault. Blame her if you want to blame someone," Angelus told her firmly.

"I-I wasn't I was just feeling… ok maybe I am feeling a little guilty. I can't help but think that…"

"But it's not," Angelus cut her off before she could finish, anticipating what she was going say. His nostrils flared as he picked up on the scent of a man that he would prefer to never scent again, "If anyone deserves to be guilt ridden," he growled, before turning on his heal, "It's this little rat," he snarled as he grasped Riley about the throat, halting his progress.

Buffy turned and she stared at Riley for a moment surprised at his daring to approach her, especially when Angelus was at her side.

"You really must have a death wish, boy!" Angelus growled as he tightened his hand around Riley's throat. His fingers itching to snap Riley's neck and be done with the man that had been the catalyst to Buffy's imprisonment.

"And more than a sprinkle of stupidity," Buffy muttered as she regarded Riley coldly.

"I-I was just checking out the crime scene to," Riley gritted out around Angelus' hand that wanted to cut off his airflow.

"You're after the Polgara," Buffy murmured with surprise and placed a hand on Angelus' raised arm as Riley's face began to take on a slightly blue tinge around his lips.

Angelus glanced down at her and snarled lowly as he released Riley's throat so that he could talk with more ease.

"Why?" Buffy asked through a narrowed gaze and gritted teeth.

"Maggie's dead," Riley answered after a moment of silence. His throat thick as his body continued to feel strange, almost out of his control and his head hurt worse. Especially now that he had almost been strangled again by the demon who had such a hold over Buffy.

Buffy sagged in relief. Her side pressing against Angelus' for a moment as a sense of safety swept over her in the knowledge that the woman who was behind her torture was dead, unable to touch.

She felt Angelus' arm curve about her back, his hand resting in the centre of her lower back and knew that he to felt a sense of relief that she was dead.

"You mean, I can't kill her myself, damn. I may just have to shake that Polgara demon's hand before you kill it Buff," he teased, Buffy whilst taunting Riley wanting any excuse no matter how weak to hit the boy, kill him.

Riley looked from Angelus to Buffy, "How did you know that the Polgara killed her?" Riley took an aggressive step forward, "How?" he demanded to know again, before Angelus pushed him back with hard shove send him to the ground.

Buffy stepped away from Angelus' comforting arm, "Your kidding, right? I'm The Slayer, figuring this stuff out is kinda what I do,"

"That information is classified," Riley grunted out as he clambered back up to his feet, "How'd you even know about the Polgara in the first place,"

Angelus smirked, "That's classified," he mocked Riley with a cocky, provoking movement of his body.

Buffy rolled her eyes, "That is hardly important. All you need to know Riley. Is that I'm going to find it and destroy it. And that you should seriously stay out of my way," she tacked on after a moment of silence.

Buffy turned and began walking down the hill.

"You should do as she says. In fact it'd be best for you if you got out of town, because next time I'll kill you and take my sweet time drawing it out. This is the last warning you get boy. All the brownie points you've earned by getting her out is now officially expired," Angelus reached out and hooked a finger under Riley's chin, "Say you believe me," he demanded.

"I believe you," Riley replied without hesitation. He could see it in the demons eyes. It should have terrified him… but it didn't. All he felt was a stubborn determination to find out the truth.

He watched as Angelus turned and walked after Buffy his longer stride easily catching the petite blond up. His hand trembled violently as he reached it up to wipe some sweat off his upper lip as he watched and waited.

***O*O*O***

Willow approached a door that was swiftly becoming familiar. She smiled a little nervously as a person from a neighbouring dorm room stepped into the hall. They returned her smile a little curiously as they wondered who would be visiting the shy weird girl who lived in that particular dorm room. The person continued on down the hall and Willow knocked on the door and waited; hopeful that the door would open.

Willow smiled brightly as the door swung open to revel the shy, curvaceous blond she had been hoping to see, "Howdy," she greeted happily.

Tara smiled her nervous, but happy half smile at Willow as she stepped back to let Willow enter, "I just got your message a minute ago. I was in class. But I was about to call you," she assured the red head as she closed the door behind her.

"I had so much fun the other night, those spells," Willow gushed excitedly. It had felt so good to finally really accomplish something a bit bigger than levitating a pencil.

Tara nodded, "Yeah that was nice," she agreed.

Willow's expression fell at Tara's lacklustre response, "I hope you don't think that I just come over for the spells and everything," she assured hurriedly. A sheepish expression on her face, "I mean, I really like just talking and hanging out with you and stuff,"

Tara nodded and smiled a little more confidently, "I know that. But you wanna do a spell,"

Willow nodded, "Yeah,"

Tara giggled lightly as she moved across the room towards her occult books.

"But only because it's really important," Willow hurried to assure, despite Tara's assurances. It was so important to her for Tara to understand just how important their time together was to her, "There's this…"

Tara shook her head, "No you don't have to explain. I don't mind really. I've been, uh thinking about that last spell we did… all day," she admitted a little shyly.

"You have?" Willow questioned ecstatically, thrilled that it wasn't just her that couldn't stop thinking about it.

"Mmmhmmm," Tara hummed, her eyes brightly sparkling.

Willow's expression echoed Tara's as she set her bag down on the floor, "Well this one should be really fun too," she started excitedly as she moved towards Tara, "We conjure the Goddess Thespia to help us locate demonic energy in the area," she explained excitedly.

Tara's face fell subtly as worry and fear gnawed at her stomach, "The Goddess Thespia. Are you sure we're ready for that?" she asked, hoping to avoid the spell that would ruin everything for her now that she finally had some happiness in her life.

Willow nodded, "You and me!" she exclaimed, "This is beneath us," she asserted confidently.

"Ok," Tara agreed wanting to make Willow happy. She twisted her hands together in her anxiety and let out breath filled with tension, "If you say so,"

Willow smiled ecstatically and had to resist the urge to kiss Tara, "This one should look really cool if done right, you'll see,"

***O*O*O***

Willy looked up as the door to his bar opened and he cringed and then paled as Buffy walked into his bar followed by Angelus. He swallowed nervously and glanced around the demonic patrons. He nodded towards the end of the bar closest to the door. Where they would be furthest away from his patrons.

"You're killing me here," Willy whined when the two joined him at the bar.

"Oh, missed you too," Buffy replied with sarcasm and looked around with vague surprise, "Joints jumping," she observed.

Willy shrugged with a little pride, "Yeah ya know. I'm making some changes with my life," he gave Buffy a meaningful look and shifted his gaze to Angelus, "Getting away from my old image,"

"You mean as a double dealing snitch," Buffy commented.

"Uh huh," Willy agreed with a nervous glance at Angelus, unable to help wondering if the mercurial vampire would suddenly take out an issues he had with the times he had snitched on him to others, "I know you're going to think I'm blowing smoke, but after those Apocalypse demons nearly did me in I had an experience of the spiritual variety," he confined.

Angelus rolled his eyes and let out a disbelieving sound, "More like you realized if there really was a heaven you wouldn't be let in for all your dirty little misdeeds,"

"That's swell an all, really, but I need to know if you've heard anything about a Polgara demon doing some killings in the last few days," Buffy jumped in before the conversation got way off track.

Willy shifted uncomfortably as he glanced around at his clientele again, "You see that's the thing. I don't talk behind people's backs no more. And I'm bringing some class to the joint, ya know," he said his voice becoming a little proud, "Its Willy's Place now, see. Brings in a better clientele. I got one of those deep fryers. These demons just go crazy for chicken fingers," he looked around again, "Look – if they see me dealing with you then I'm just the same old Willy working both sides of the street," he pleaded.

Buffy gave Willy a look as she stood with her arms crossed over her chest, "I'm going to have to punch you, aren't I?" she stated more than questioned as she uncrossed her arms in exasperation.

Willy nodded, "Just once and it don't have to hurt, just make it look good," he implored, and flinched as Buffy cocked back her arm, "Ohhh – Oww!" he cried in expectation of the pain he knew was coming.

Buffy raised an eyebrow at him as she lowered her arm slightly, "Not yet. I haven't touched you,"

"He's a cowardly little worm, Buff. What do you expect?" Angelus muttered as he rested his hands against the bar, "This place does look better though," he observed, "It might actually be worth drinking in here now,"

Willy gulped, but decided to ignore Angelus, preferring that the dark vampire admire his improvement to his place of business then focus his attention on him, just in case, "Sorry right," he muttered, "G-Go ahead," he prompted and Buffy cocked her arm back again in preparation, "Wait," he changed his mind causing Buffy to lower her arm again with an irritated look. Willy paid her no mind as he glanced around at his patrons again, "No! I can't talk to you!" he said loudly so that they could hear.

Before Buffy could punch him, Willy let out a genuine howl of pain, "Ohhh! Owwww!" he cried as he held his now broken nose.

Buffy turned her gaze to Angelus, a questioning expression on her face.

Angelus shrugged as he licked the small smattering of blood off his knuckles, "I just realized that I never said 'thank you' for selling me out to Spike and Dru,"

Willy looked up at Angelus with watering eyes, "That was Angel, and they aren't the kind to take 'no' easily,"

"That ritualistic spell wouldn't have killed me to," Angelus said with narrowed eyes.

"Alright," Buffy said drawing Willy's wide scared eyes back to her, "Back to the Polgara demon?" she prompted.

Willy reluctantly released his nose, "Heard there was one around a week or two back. Word was that those army guys got him,"

Buffy leaned her arms against the bar, her hazel gaze intense, "And that was the last you heard?"

Willy nodded as he dapped at his tender nose, "Yeah as far as I know he's off the streets,"

"What about those army guys? What do you know? You heard anything about 314?" she asked, figuring that she should fish whilst she had Willy's undivided attention.

The beads covering the entrance rattled as someone entered and immediately the air in the room shifted as Angelus growled and whirled around the moment the familiar unwelcomed scent hit his nostrils. Buffy turned at the sound her eyes narrowed on Riley surprised to see him here.

"What are you doing here?" Angelus growled out, his dark brown eyes flashing amber in his anger and desire for blood.

"Are you following me?" Buffy asked with a frown, her hands fisted at her sides to keep them from visibly shaking.

Willy took the opportunity to take a few quick steps away from the length of his bar. His back pressing up against wall the shelves of alcohol were housed.

"You told me you were tracking the Polgara demon. I want it dead just as much as you do," Riley gritted out. His gaze narrowed as he looked around the place.

"I suppose my threat just went in one ear and out the other, ey," Angelus growled, "Not that I can't see how that's possible what with all the empty space that occupies the space in between,"

"Oh, I understood it," Riley sneered, "I just figured. The way I'm feeling. I'd be able to take you," he said as he adjusted his gun so that it was ready for him to use.

Angelus returned Riley's sneer with interest, "You think a little anger and a pumped up toy is going to be enough to take me? Then you really don't know me, boy,"

"I know enough," Riley re-joined, ignoring the shaking of his arms.

"Ok," Buffy broke in, "Enough with the testosterone pissing contest,"

Riley flicked his gaze back to Buffy, "And you," he started accusingly, "I thought you were supposed to kill these things. Not fuck them and socialize with them," he spoke loudly drawing the attention of the demons in the bar.

"Real smooth slick. They teach you that uncover move in Special Forces?" Buffy asked as she glanced around at the demons that were now looking at Riley in his military gear with a mix of fear and open hostility.

"I'm serious, Buffy. What are you doing here?" Riley demanded to know.

"Just cooling her dogs like the rest of us," Willy interjected at last, not liking the tension that was building in his bar, "Why don't you sit down and relax?"

Riley's fingers tightened around his gun, "I want you to tell me. Who are you?" he demanded to know.

Buffy raised a brow at him, "You know who I am. I'm the girl who your precious leader locked away in a cage like an animal,"

"From what I've been seeing of you lately. Maybe she had the right idea," Riley said as his arms began to tremble and he had to blink away sweat from his eyes.

Angelus growled and in a flash of movement was behind Riley. The sudden movement however set off Riley's twitchy trigger finger and Buffy had to swing herself out of the way as a pulsing electro blast and it hit the bar lighting it up.

Willy raised up his arms in terror as his bar crackled with electricity. The wood cracking from the blast.

Angelus, his arm wrapped around Riley's throat from behind, another holding Riley's gun arm and to his surprise, struggling a little to do so, "I hope that you enjoyed firing your little toy. It's the last thing you'll ever do," he growled darkly, "A snapped neck won't be satisfying enough, but strangling you won't be anywhere near painful enough,"

Riley struggled in Angelus' grasp, his muscles trembling beyond his control and sweat beaded over his brow and upper lip.

Buffy observed him with a slightly confused and conflicted frown as she watched her lover begin to slow strangle the life from the man she had once thought of as a friend.

"Angelus stop," she demanded as she got back up to her feet earning a dark frown from Angelus.

"What?" he growled, his hands tightening further, his upper lip curling up in a sneer.

"Look at him, Angelus," Buffy said as she pointed at Riley.

"I am, rather a little too closely for my liking," Angelus sneered.

"He's shaking. Something is wrong with him," Buffy stated.

"So what if there is?" Angelus growled, "He had you locked up and treated like an animal. If he hadn't had an attack of conscious…"

"I know," Buffy cut him off, a shudder taking over her for a moment, "That doesn't change the fact that I want you to let him go," she said stubbornly.

Angelus growled loudly as he met Buffy's determined gaze, "He just tried to shoot you and you want me to spare him… again,"

"He's… it looks like he's in withdrawals," Buffy said.

"That doesn't change anything!" Angelus insisted.

"I'm not on drugs!" Riley choked out around Angelus' hand and thrashed a little harder in Angelus' hold, actually managing to break loose to everyone's surprise but his, "I don't do drugs," he denied.

"Riley," Buffy spoke, drawing his gaze, "Listen to me, something is obviously wrong. You're trembling and sweating,"

"I don't do drugs!" Riley yelled and grasped Buffy's arms harshly, "What are you doing here, Buffy? The truth, now!" he demanded.

Buffy didn't get the chance to reply or break his grasp on her arms like she fully intended on doing. Her skin crawling the minute his hands touch her. Angelus having moved the moment Riley had grabbed Buffy.

The sound of his fist connecting with Riley's temple filled the silence of the bar, a silence that was only broken as Riley's unconscious form crumpled to the ground and applause from the demonic patrons broke out.

Angelus barely glanced at them as he grasped Buffy's arms himself and pushed her up against the bar. His eyes narrowed dangerously on the woman he planned to make his mate sometime in the near future, "What are you thinking?!" he growled, "That boy means nothing. He has done nothing to deserve your sympathy or respect. He almost killed you with that blast and you want me to spare him!"

"Angelus," Buffy murmured as she touched his arms with soothing hands, "He could be useful," she attempted to explain herself.

Angelus growled, his hands tightening on her arms for a brief moment before they released her, "That idiots uses are few and far between," he sneered, "he's better off dead and out of our hair, before he does something else that almost kills you,"

"He could know something," Buffy stated.

"I thought Giles already questioned him," Angelus countered.

"Angelus,"

Angelus took a few steps back from her, his dark eyes filled with anger and his desire to end Riley's life, "I need – I need to go for a walk," he muttered, "Before I do something I'll regret later," he murmured under his breath as he walked to the exit.

The beads swished angrily after his agitated form.

Buffy sighed as her lover stalked out of sight, "Great, now I've got an angry boyfriend and I've got to drag your dead weight back," she muttered with annoyance.

Her gaze drifted to the still clinking beads and she expelled another breath. _He'll be back once he's cooled down._ She assured herself as reluctantly she moved to Riley's still form.

"Let's get you out of here," she murmured as she heaved him up with a great effort, "Oh yeah, you smell like cold sweats," she muttered with a wrinkled nose.

***O*O*O***

"So, where did, Buffy say she had to run off to?" Xander asked as he threw a blanket over Riley's unconscious body as he lay haphazardly on the bed where Buffy had dropped him, before hurrying out again.

"She uh, she," Giles mumbled as he adjust his glasses on the bridge of his nose as he fumbled for an answer.

"She didn't say," Anya spoke up, "She just dumped off the military goon and left. Why did she have to bring him here?" she muttered with a disapproving scowl in Riley's direction.

"I'm sure that wherever she went, it's for uh, an important reason," Giles intoned as he stared down at Riley. His hard gaze not softened by his suffering even in unconsciousness.

***O*O*O***

Buffy stood in front of a bedside table, her ears filled with the steady beep-beep of a heart monitor. Her hands arranged a small bouquet of flowers she had bought on her way over. She sighed as she glanced over at the dark haired woman that was laying still on the bed aside from the slow rise and fall of her chest.

Buffy expelled an uncomfortable breath, "I've been meaning to visit for a long time, but…" Buffy trailed off, "I bought flowers, there not much but they brighten up this dim little hospital room," she trailed off again as she stared at Faith. Her skin once tanned and full of life now pale, leaving her looking small. Something she had never been in life.

"I should have visited, but I guess I was uncomfortable. I did put you here. Things are hectic as usual," Buffy took the vacant seat by the bed and leaned in close so that she could speak softly and not be overheard by a nurse passing by the open door, "I got your message. Though I don't understand it. It was kind of vague and dream-y. You know how they can be," Buffy paused and sighed again, "This is harder than I thought," she mumbled.

Buffy stood, her hazel gaze still focused on Faith as she slowly leaned over her sister Slayer's prone body, "I know that you're busy trying to get things sorted out in there and I hope that you're getting through all those boxes, but if you could find the time to maybe try again. I'd be grateful and I promise I'll listen harder this time,"

Buffy pressed a gentle kiss to Faith's brow an echo of her farewell the last time she had paid a visit to Faith, "Even so, thanks for trying," she straightened, "I'll try to visit more often," she murmured with a last look at Faith before turning and walking back out the hospital door.

***O*O*O***

Xander, Giles and Anya jumped as a loud knock sounded from the backyard door of the basement. Xander moved towards the door and parted the venetian blinds that covered the doors window and swallowed thickly and frowned as he caught sight of a familiar silk clad chest and leather duster, "Great," he muttered under his breath, before reluctantly opening his door, "I'm not inviting you in," he stated firmly as he glared at the vampire at his door.

"Right, we both know that when Buffy tells you to invite me in, you will," Angelus sneered.

"Buffy's not here," Giles spoke up as he ventured closer to the door.

Angelus frowned, "Where is she?" he asked as he raised his arms to grasp the doorframe with his hands.

Xander shrugged, "What's the matter Angelus? Buffy not confiding in you,"

"Your awfully confident behind that barrier," Angelus sneered, his gaze narrowed on the boy that constantly tested the limits of his patience.

"Xander," Anya hissed from behind him, "Don't taunt him," she demanded.

"You better listen to your lover, Xander. She'd probably miss you if you had a sudden case of snapped neck syndrome," Angelus growled.

"Yes, I would," Anya said and glared as hard as she dared in her fragile mortal state at Angelus.

"Are you two having another pissing contest?" Buffy asked from the bottom of the stairwell with a slightly amused and irritated expression, drawing everyone's gaze.

"Buffy your back," Anya exclaimed with relief, "Stop them. Angelus is threatening Xander,"

Angelus shrugged and flashed his best charm smile in Buffy's direction, "Only a little,"

"Only a little, hear that Buffy he was threatening me only a little! Well, that just makes everything alright, doesn't it," Xander complained.

"Enough!" Buffy said loudly, "Xander just invite Angelus in," she ordered.

"What? He just threatened to snap my neck," Xander whined.

Anya nodded, "Yeah, he did,"

"Because, Angelus is going to behave himself of find himself on the couch for say the next week… and a half," Buffy tacked on at the unsatisfied look Xander was giving her.

Xander stayed stubbornly silent for a moment before sighing, "Come in," he muttered under his breath, but it was enough for Angelus to hear and be able to step over the threshold. Xander shot a glare at Angelus, "Don't think that I won't be uninviting you after this whole thing is over!" he declared hotly.

Angelus rolled his eyes, "Oh how will I ever bare the deprivation of this miserable dank hole you call home," he sneered.

"Do, I have to send you two to separate corners? Because I will," Buffy threatened.

Angelus held up his hands and moved towards her, "You had me at the couch threat, lover,"

"So, you're over your little tantrum?" Buffy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't throw tantrums," Angelus denied with a small frown, "But, I'm calm enough not to kill the G.I. Wannabe on sight. How's he doing by the way?"

"Still unconscious," Giles responded.

"Good, let's hope he stays that way," Angelus muttered.

"Actually, I was kind of thinking that he could be useful," Buffy interjected, glancing at Angelus from under lashes and noted the way his jaw clenched.

"In what way?" Giles asked, his blue gaze curious.

"In getting into The Initiative?" Buffy replied, her chin tilting up stubbornly as she waited for Angelus to voice his objection.

"No! No way!"

"Angelus," Buffy tried to calmly intervene.

Angelus stepped towards her, "You are not stepping foot back inside that building!"

Buffy took a calming breath, "Look, I know that you're just concerned about me and that's sweet, but I… we need to know more about 314 and The Initiative. And the only way to do that is to get inside. Maggie Walsh had to have kept records somewhere,"

She reached up and touched Angelus' face, "It's not like I'm glad to be going back. If I thought that there was another way to get information I would, but this is the only way, Angelus,"

Angelus nodded and Buffy sighed in relief glad that he wasn't going to fight her one this. It was a relief that only lasted a moment as Angelus moved with preternatural speed. His arm reaching up to grasp the strung up across the basement ceiling clothesline and pulled it from its fragile moorings.

The two struggled as Buffy whirled on him before he could get her hands secure like he intended. They traded blows in the confined space until Angelus managed to get the wire wrapped around one of her wrists.

"Damn it, Angelus!" Buffy cursed as she swung her free hand around to punch him square in the face, frustration flushing her cheeks as she glared at him from over her shoulder. She turned her angry hazel gaze to her friends that were just standing around watching, "Aren't you guys going to do something?" she demanded to know.

"Uh, well," Giles stuttered over his words as he tried to come up with a plausible reason for just standing around.

"He's bigger and stronger than us and you're the Slayer if you can't keep him from tying you up, what makes you think we can?" Anya said with a shrug, "Besides, being tied up can be quiet enjoyable," she stated.

Xander flushed and Giles coughed.

Buffy rolled her eyes, "And let me guess, you don't want to get knocked unconscious?" she stated as she looked at Giles.

Giles coughed again, "Well, uh that would be uh, nice, yes," he admitted sheepishly.

Buffy rolled her eyes, "Angelus, seriously!" she growled as he began tying her hands together by the wrists behind her back.

"I'm just doing what I promised that I would," Angelus informed her.

Buffy frowned as the wire tightened about her wrists and Angelus turned her back around to face him, "I don't recall you ever promising to tie me up,"

"I promised that The Initiative would never lay their grimy little hands on you again," he replied with a half-smile as he pushed her back gently so that she sat down on the rubber blow up couch.

"It's at times like this that I wish that you still didn't care whether or not I lived or died," Buffy grumbled half-heartedly.

"So, not even a small part of you thinks this is sweet and endearing?" Angelus asked a little teasingly.

Buffy pursed her lips as she fought back the smile that wanted to curl up her lips in response to the one that curled up Angelus', "No," she stated, before caving a little, "Maybe if I wasn't so pissed off about it,"

There was a sound of something heavy meeting flesh and Angelus' expression fell, before he fell to the floor out cold.

Buffy looked up from Angelus' fallen form and found herself surprised to see Riley standing unsteadily on his feet.

"He wasn't so hard to take down," Riley muttered, before letting the crowbar he had used to hit Angelus over the head with slip from his grasp and fall to the floor.

"What are you doing?" Buffy asked suspiciously.

Riley swayed on his feet, "I-I heard that you needed to get into The Initiative,"

"I thought you were a sleep," Giles accused.

"Not for everything," Riley replied.

Buffy was silent for a long moment before turning her gaze back to Riley, "Get me untied," Riley nodded and moved towards her as Buffy stood and turned so that he could work loose the knot.

"Uh, Buffy," Giles spoke up, "Are you sure that this is completely wise?"

"It's not like Riley is in any condition to double cross me and if anything goes wrong, I can always use him to make my escape," Buffy said coldly.

"I'm not going to double cross you," Riley said as he worked the knot loose and began unwinding it from around Buffy's wrists, "I want answers. I want to know what's wrong with me,"

Buffy rubbed her wrists as she turned back around, "Alright let's go," she paused for a brief moment her gaze on Angelus' unconscious form, "Let Angelus know what's happening and reassure him that I'll be back before he knows it," she told her friends before continuing on her way, Riley at her side.

"Uh, should we have let Buffy go with him?" Xander asked as the door swung shut behind Riley.

"More importantly," Anya interjected, "Does anyone really want to be here when Angelus wakes up to find Buffy and Riley gone?"

"Good point," Xander said they all started towards the door, only to stop as Anya hurried back, "An, what are you doing?" Xander asked.

Anya looked up as she hurriedly scribbled, "Writing him a note so that he won't come after us for information,"

Xander pointed at Anya, "That's a brilliant idea!"

Anya placed the note strategically by Angelus' hand, "Alright let's go!" Xander urged and took Anya by the hand as they hurried out of the basement.

"What about your parents?" Giles asked.

"Nah, Angelus would be doing me a favour by putting them out of my misery… so, naturally he won't harm a single hair on their head," Xander said as they hurried through the backyard.

***O*O*O***

Willow and Tara sat across from each other twine shaped into a square between them.

Tara looked at the square they had made, her slightly sweaty hands resting on her knees, "So, the square is Sunnydale," she stated in a quiet voice, her gaze coming up to meet Willow's.

"Right it's like a map," Willow confirmed with an enthusiastic smile, "We both take different parts of the potion and when we do the incantation we both blow it into the square at the exact same time," she explained.

"But how does it work?" Tara asked as she subtly wiped her palms across the knees of her jeans.

"Well that's the cool part," Willow enthused, "When the potion mixes and Thespia is called it creates this mist over the parts where the demons are. I-It even makes different colours for different breeds,"

"Wow," Tara murmured with a nervous nod of her head and swallowed thickly as she eyed the square of twine that would ruin everything for her.

"You ready?" Willow asked and Tara nodded.

Willow picked up a grey stone bowl and poured some of the green powder it contained into Tara's outstretched hand, before turning her attention to a green bowl that contained the necessary white powder pouring a measure of it into her own hand. She shared another smiled with Tara as excitement coursed through her, making it difficult for her to remain calmly seated.

_Remember spells are easier when your clear headed calm… Tara's so beautiful… focus Willow!_ She scolded herself and a slight flush and slightly more secretive and shy smile curled up her lips as she met Tara's gaze again.

"Let's do it," she chimed excitedly and closed her eyes.

Tara closed her eyes in turn, her heart beating uncomfortably in her chest at the deception she was planning.

"Thespia, we walk in shadow, walk in blindness. You are the protector of the night," Tara prayed.

"Thespia, Goddess, ruler of all darkness, we implore you, open a window to the world of the underbeing," Willow prayed in turn, before lifting her hand to her mouth, her fingers uncurling around the white powder and she blew it across the twine square.

Tara opened her eyes and with a movement as quick as she could manage slipped her hand under a long hanging table cloth and let the powder slid from her hand, before jerking it back out and quickly pretending to blow the powder across the square of twine.

"With your knowledge may we go in safety, with your grace may we speak of your benevolence," Willow finished praying and opened her eyes her expression falling with disappointment, "Or not," she muttered with a pout.

Tara took in Willow's confused and disappointed look and looked down at her lap guilty as she sank her teeth into her lower lip. She forced herself to look back up at Willow and effect a disappointed shrug and apologetic smile at Willow who was already muttering to herself as she wondered what went wrong.

***O*O*O***

Angelus groaned as he came awake, a painful twinge aching at the back of his head. He reached up and his hand closed around the handle of something metal. He pulled himself up onto his knees and looked at the wrench in his grasp and growled under his breath.

"A frickin' wrench!" he grumbled, "Cub Scout's going to pay for that," he stilled as he became aware of just how silent the basement was. The only sounds of movement coming from the two older Harris' in the house above.

His gaze fell on a rectangular piece of sticky-note that had been lying beside his prone form. He snatched it off the ground despite being able to read the hastily scrawled words in a hand he didn't recognise and read it again, "Damn," he snarled as he shot to his feet and practically flew out the door.

***O*O*O***

Buffy walked stone faced through the house splattered with blood, the bodies having been removed by the authorities. She glanced at Riley, a small frown that was concerned despite herself darkening her brow as she took in his deteriorating condition. His every step was laboured along with his breath and sweat covered body.

When he stumbled and Buffy caught him before he could fall in reaction, she finally spoke, "Are you sure that you can handle this?"

"I can handle it," Riley said as he straightened up and pushed her hands away and began walking again.

Buffy easily kept pace, "You better be. I'm not getting locked up again, because your body suddenly decides that it needs to take an impromptu nap," she stated coolly.

"It won't," Riley said firmly, a muscle in his jaw twitching as he clenched his teeth together, "And if things do start going badly, like you said, you can always use me as a human shield," he muttered as they crested a staircase.

"Oh you can count on it," Buffy muttered.

Buffy paused in her stride, a questioning look on her face as Riley held out a hand motioning her to a stop, "What?"

"You'll see," Riley replied evasively. His training not allowing him to elaborate further as he stepped out in front of the mirror and stilled, his gaze meeting his reflection.

Buffy watched as a harmless red laser began to descend from the top of the mirror and scanned Riley from head to toe.

"Retinal scan recorded. Finn, Riley," an automated female voice spoke and the mirrored wall parted to reveal the elevator.

Riley motioned Buffy forward, "Quickly, before it closes," he added when Buffy hesitated.

Buffy gritted her teeth as she entered the enclosed space, not entirely thrilled about being inside another Initiative owned small space, no matter how short the duration.

***O*O*O***

"It totally failed," Willow said disheartened, her shoulders slumped as she sat on one of Giles couches, "It wasn't even like the spell went wrong. It just wouldn't," she muttered as she once again tried to think of anything vital she might have missed that would make the spell inert.

"If it's any consolation, we haven't fared much better here," Giles told her as he glanced around at all the books that were strewn about his desk.

"Really?" Willow asked hopefully.

Xander flipped his own book closed, "Yep, we've got a whole lot of bub-kiss," he sighed as he leaned back in his chair, "At this point," he said as he raised a hand in the air, "I'd rather be off playing commando with Buffy and all the perilous danger involved then look at the insides of another book,"

Anya snuggled into his side, "I don't," she said with a smile, "I prefer you right here. Out of danger of guns and military demon catchers,"

The research is proving troubling," Giles continued as if Xander hadn't spoken, "I mean, this-this demon we're after seem highly atypical for a Polgara. This child that it killed is mutilated. There's no recorded cases of a Polgara ever having done such a thing," he informed Willow with a troubled frown.

"Also the Polgara have to eat every two hours. Factor in the low I.Q. and you have a demon who's not exactly low profile," Anya said from her spot on the couch.

"So, how had he been hiding in Sunnydale for the last two days without anyone seeing him?" Willow asked curiously

"Exactly," Giles muttered as he took his glasses off his nose to rub at his eyes.

***O*O*O***

Buffy stood by the edge of a wall, Riley behind her, both with frowns of concentration on their faces. Riley leaned against the wall heavily, the trembling in his body worsening, but he determinedly kept his feet as he listened to the quiet conversation going on between Engelman and a scientist he only recognised from seeing about the building.

"How many of the men are still out?" Engleman asked urgently, "The longer the go without their meds…"

"Everyone's off their schedules because of the professors' death and the massacre at Lowell house," the scientist responded as he checked his clipboard.

"It's dangerous, I don't want to think about the damage our guys could do under the stress of withdrawal especially since they won't understand what's happening to them. These guys don't know they've been getting meds in their food so we better get them in here stat," Engelman said seriously, his frustration mounting at the scientist could didn't seem to grasp the importance of the situation.

"We've located all but a few," the scientist hurried to offer, sensing Engelman's souring mood, "The last ones were in pretty bad shape but we stabilized them,"

"But Finn wasn't one of them, right," Engelman muttered.

The scientist shook his head, "No,"

"Find him. He's the one I care about. He's too important to our work to lose now," Engelman stated.

The scientist nodded, "Indeed," he agreed.

In their hiding spot Buffy had to hold Riley back as he had attempted to charge forward in growing anger as the softly spoken words reached his ears.

"Riley, wait!" Buffy grunted, "We could find out more if we stay hidden a little longer. Not to mention the interrogation thing tends to go better when there's a little privacy," she sighed as Riley subsided, his hands clenched tightly at his sides.

***O*O*O***

"Double shot of verneg, keep," Spike ordered as he sat down at the bar in front of Willy, "Make it the good stuff don't want no freaking orangutan,"

Willy nodded as he eyed Spike, "Got ya,"

"Been a real pisser of a day isn't it? Those army blokes are on a tear," Spike began spilling his woes as one does to a barkeep, "They ran me out of my place. And all over town," he recounted miserably as Willy fixed his drink.

Spike is distracted from his recounting as a heavy hand landed on his shoulder drawing his attention, "Yeah what's that?" he asked as he turned to face the demon only to be greeted with a powerful fist to the face before he could catch a proper glimpse of the demon.

***O*O*O***

"Keep me posted," Engelman ordered, "I'll be in records," the scientist nodded as Engelman walked away from him.

Buffy followed with a determined stride, Riley keeping up with her. His determination to find out more making his steps come easier.

Engelman stopped in front of a door and swiped his card in the slot unlocking the secured door, before he entered the room.

Buffy marched forward and grabbed the door before it could shut throwing it open as she stormed into the room surprising Engelman who looked from Buffy to Riley with wide eyes. Before he could speak, Buffy grabbed him by the lapels of his lab coat, "Now, I don't generally like to kill humans, but I've learned that it pays to be flexible in life," she practically growled through clenched teeth.

"I was wondering when you'd turn up," Engelman said stiffly trying to keep up a bravado through his fear of the vengeful blond. He flicked his gaze to Riley, "I'm surprised to see you with her Agent Finn,"

Riley rested a hand against the wall, his legs starting to grow weak beneath him once again, "Really? I wouldn't have thought it that surprising,"

Engelman swallowed, "I know you didn't agree with Maggie's decision, but you are a loyal solider Riley,"

Buffy's hands tightened around the lab coat, strangling the cloth, "But you did, didn't you doctor. You helped her, probably brainstormed ideas about what to throw at me next," Buffy shoved Engelman releasing him and watched as he fell to the floor at her. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides with the desire to squeeze the life out of him.

"You were a risk and a curiosity… we only sought to learn," Engelman tried to excuse.

"And once you'd finished learning, you would have found a way to kill me. Couldn't have one of your little pets running off and spreading tales about what's going on inside this place," Buffy spat.

She squatted down in front of him, "Speak of the goings on of this place. Why don't you spill all your dirty little secrets… starting with what you've done to Riley and room 314. Oh and a tour would be nice,"

Engelman glanced at the unsteady Riley, "Riley, you know our procedures. You know,"

"I know," Riley bit out, "That Maggie held an innocent girl prisoner and practically tortured her… but for what?"

"Somebody's coming, you know," Engelman changed tact again as he slowly, cautiously got to his feet. "I'm sure they've already seen you on the security monitors,"

Another door to the left of Buffy burst open drawing their gazes, "That'd be a neat trick," Angelus said with a cocky arrogance as he entered dragging behind him a terrified and bleeding from a rather nasty looking bite to the neck scientist by the collar of his shirt, "Seeing as this little fellow so obliging told me that the monitors have been down for… how long did you say they were down for?" he kicked the quivering scientist.

"F-For about ten minutes," the scientist stuttered and the blood drained from Engleman's face as he observed the furious vampire.

"Angelus, how… what are you doing here?" Buffy asked distracted by the appearance of her non to happy lover.

Angelus shot her an unhappy look through narrowed eyes, "I could be asking the same of you… except I already know that answer… bloody white hats," he grumbled as he completely released the scientist that had obliging swept him through the large base.

Buffy shrugged only slightly apologetic that she had come here. It had been necessary, but she was sorry that she had worried him. She glanced back at Riley, "We – you didn't do that… did you?"

Riley grimaced as he shook his head in response to her question.

Angelus rolled his eyes, "Are you done here?" he asked Buffy.

Buffy shook her head determinedly, "Nope, we only just got started," she sneered as she returned her gaze to Engelman, "We know you've been feeding drugs to your boys. Don't bother denying it Riley and I heard you inform that scientist type you were talking to out in the hall. What we don't know is why or what it's got to do with room 314,"

Engelman shook his head, "N-Nothing, it's got nothing to do with room 314," he said as he tore his fearful gaze from the pissed off vampire that if he wasn't mistaken still had blood coating his lips.

"Come on, Doc. I may be blond, but I've been at this a long time and if there is one thing I've learned over the years is that coincidences are unlikely. So, why don't you start talking and I promise when I leave here today you'll be alive," Buffy promised.

The Doctor remained silent a stubborn expression on his face.

Buffy sighed, "It's either you talk or my friend over here will give us all a lesson in torture," Buffy threatened as she nodded her head in Angelus' direction, "And you'll be the pin cushion," Engelman swallowed.

"Buffy," Riley attempted to interject with a disproving frown.

Buffy threw a look at Riley that was menacing and cold, "Another thing I've learned is that you Initiative types need a bit of motivation and I'm so far beyond caring what happens to any of you that it's not even funny," Buffy returned her attention to Engelman, "Now, Maggie Walsh wanted me as well. So, where do I fit in amongst her grand schemes for 314?"

Engelman glanced from person to person before swallowing and giving in, "You were a bonus. She thought that you'd benefit the project," he admitted.

"That's what she wanted my blood for," Buffy murmured softly, before grabbing Engelman's lab coat again, "Did she give any to it?" Buffy shook him, "Did she?"

Engelman nodded, "One small vile. I warned her that we didn't know what the effects would be. Slayer blood mixing with… well…"

"Well… what?" Buffy prompted as she released him and a loud growl rumbled from Angelus that got Engelman talking again with a stutter.

"The project it… it escaped," Engelman hedged.

Riley took a step closer, his body shivering and covered with sweat, "That's enough!" he shouted as his head swum, "You're making her sound like some physchopath. She wasn't like that… she made a mistake with Buffy… she was a brilliant woman!"

Engelman took a nervous step back and used his arms in a calming gesture, "She was," he attempted to reassure Riley, "It's not…"

"All she was doing was trying to help people and this is the way you want them to remember her!" Riley yelled a hand going to his head as it pounded angrily.

"Riley calm down," Buffy said as she eyed him, "The drugs are wreaking havoc on your body. You need to try and remain calm. Stay focused,"

"Do you need me to knock you unconscious again?" Angelus drawled as he took steps closer to Buffy, not liking the way he was looking at Buffy with fevered unfocused eyes, "That's a favour I wouldn't mind repaying,"

"Riley," Buffy said and grasped his arms tightly, drawing as much of his attention as he could give with his body wracked with pain, "We just need to find out what was in 314. Can't get vengeance for Maggie if we don't know what killed her," she said just before the body of an army commando fell from a platform above them drawing everyone's gaze.

"Me," Adam informed them once every eye in the room was on him.

Angelus' lip curled back in a sneer, his eyes hard as he gazed upon the meshed green demonic skin, white human flesh and metal, "Abomination," he muttered under his breath drawing Buffy's gaze to him briefly and she couldn't help but nod her agreement before turning her gaze back up to the creature that was now pacing the raised platform.

"I've been thinking about the world. I wanted to see it, learn it," Adam paused in his pacing, "I saw that inside of that boy… and it was beautiful, but it didn't tell me about the world. It just made me fell. So now I want to learn about me. Why I feel? What I am?" he spoke with curiosity, before taking a step forward and dropping without care from the platform to the level beneath, "So I came home," he informed them

They all watched in silence as Adam took a floppy disk from the pocket of his pants and inserted it into a slot in his chest. His head tilted slightly as the information filled his head, "I'm a kinematically redundant, biomechanical demonoid designed by Maggie Walsh. She called me Adam and I called her mother," he recited.

"Adam," Engelman spoke drawing Adam's mismatched eyes, "Maggie would want you to stand down,"

"Yes," Adam agreed, "But I seem to have a design flaw," he admitted making Engelman pale in dread and fear.

"In addition to organic material I'm equipped with GP-2, D-11 Infrared detectors, A Harmonic Decelerator plus D.C. Servo," Adam continued imparting his newly learned information.

Buffy frowned as she regarded the thing before her, she had no idea what to call it.

"She pieced you together from parts of other demons,"

Adam turned his gaze to Buffy, "And man. And Demon. And you. Which tells me what I am, but not who I am. Mother wrote things down. Hard data, but also her feelings. That's how I learned that I have a job here. And that she loved me,"

Riley shook his head. The creature's words disgusting him, "She wasn't your mother and she didn't love you!" he snarled

"Is that really a major issue right now?" Buffy asked as she tried to determine just what demon bits he carried and what weakness's he might have.

"She made you because she was a scientist!" Riley yelled as he took an angry step forward. He froze again however as Adam pulled out another disk, this one bearing the letters of his last name.

"Riley Finn," Adam confirmed as he moved to insert it into the same slot as the disk with his information.

"Stop!" Riley ordered, "Those files…"

"Oh!" Adam said cutting him off in his surprise, "Mother created you too,"

Riley shook his head and frown in confusion, "Maggie's not my mother! I have a mother! A real…"

"A birth mother, yes," Adam agreed.

Angelus leaned towards Buffy, "Well, that would explain a few things," he stage whispered unable to help himself. His eyes remained fixed on the abomination that stood before them, his body tense and his nose twitched. The thing smelled wrong.

"But after you met Maggie, she was the one who shaped your basic operating system. She taught you how to think, how to feel. She fed you chemicals to make you stronger – your mind and body. She said that you and I were her favourite children. Her art. That makes us brothers. Family," Adam said and a small smile curled up his lips.

Riley took another angry step forward, "No! I'm not like you,"

Adam observed Riley curiously, "That's pain isn't it? Why? Because your feeding schedule – the chemicals have been interrupted? Or do you miss her? Tell me!" he demanded.

"I'll kill you!" Riley growled furiously.

"You won't," Adam said confidently, "You haven't been programmed to,"

"I cannot be programmed! I'm a man!" Riley shouted his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides.

"It's here," Adam said, his voice still calm as he held up another disk, "The plan she had for us. What happens, how it ends,"

"No," Riley said from between clenched teeth.

"Do you want to hear?" Adam asked as he moved to insert the disk.

"No!" Riley shouted as he pulled his pistol from its holster and aimed it at Adam.

Adam reacts immediately, his arm shooting out and in a quick movement disarms Riley leaving him weapon less. Buffy stepped forward as Riley punched Adam in the face and got sent flying up over a table for his trouble. She ducked a violent swing of his arm and moved to throw a punch of her own only to get caught by Adam's other arm and get sent to the ground.

Angelus growled his face finally shifting as he moved to keep the abomination from attacking his mate-to-be any further. He lands a punch and blocks a punch from Adam's mechanical arm with a wince before being shoved back effortlessly, his body falling over Buffy's who'd been picking herself up.

"Nice landing," Buffy grunted from under him as she watched as Riley charged forward, his movements rather reckless and sloppy from the drugs effecting his body.

Angelus rolled off Buffy and got to his feet in a smooth movement. His gaze focused on the continuing fight as he held a hand out to Buffy.

Buffy took it and turned her gaze to the fight as Riley is once again battered back. She released Angelus hands and ignored her lover's growl of annoyance as she moved back into the fray. Every instinct she had telling her to kill it. She executed a roll across the tiled floor and came to a stop in a kneeling position and punched Adam's stomach figuring he'd be vulnerable there just like most humanoid demons.

Adam grunted only a little and punched Buffy across the temple sending her to the ground, before kicking her away.

Angelus snarled and shifted in a quick movement so that he could break Buffy's fall. Their collision sending them both to the ground.

Engelman who had been frozen stiff throughout most of the encounter finally remembered that he had feet and made to run for the door, moving past Adam to do so.

Adam released his skewer, "Doctor," he called, just before thrusting the skewer into Engelman's chest and with a sick wet sound he slid the skewer back out allowing Engelman's now lifeless body to fall to the floor.

Riley started shocked for a moment, before he burst into action again, grabbing the distracted Adam around the throat from behind. In that moment there is a pounding on the secured door and as Angelus and Buffy get back up to their feet they watch as Adam easily broke Riley's grip on him and turned skewering Riley in his left side with the still extended skewer.

Angelus turned his gaze to the door as the pounding continued and urgent voice could be heard behind it all of them eager to get in and settle the disturbance. He returned his gaze to Buffy, a hand still gripping her arm, "We should get out of here," he urged.

Adam looked about the room as well, becoming aware that his time in the facility was coming to an end, "Thank you. This has been… very interesting," he said, before headed back up the stairs to the platform.

Angelus tightened his grip on Buffy's arm as he watched Adam disappear into a vent, "We need to go now Buff," he said and started moving.

Buffy nodded and followed him without complaint her eyes going to Riley's form as he leaned against a wall clutching his wounded side. The sound of gunfire speeding up her steps as she focused her full attention on following Angelus out the way he came in.

The two disappeared around a corner just as Forrest breached into the room allowing the black man to see them for the briefest of moments. As much as he wanted to, he didn't follow after, instead focusing his attention on his friend.

"Demon," Riley panted, "Not the Polgara – half man half demon, escaped through the vent," he pointed to the vent that he knew was somewhere above him.

"And Buffy just happened to be in the neighbourhood," Forrest grumbled as he knelt in front of his injured friend.

"It's the demon that killed Maggie and Engelman," Riley said firmly and Forrest reluctantly nodded, "Let's get you to the hospital my brother," he said as he motioned Graham forward and together they helped Riley up. Forrest turned his gaze to another of the men, "Make sure that Buffy Summers isn't still lingering around the facility,"

The man nodded and quickly moved the way he'd seen the girl and her companion leaving.

***O*O*O***

Spike groaned as he was thrown to the ground bloody and beaten. He rolled over onto back and coughed out a little blood. He opened his eyes as he heard heavy footsteps approach him.

"What did you expect Spike – a welcome party?" the demon asked as his companions looked on from the doorway that lead to and from the roof of Willy's Place, "Words out. You've been making war on the demon world,"

"War?" Spike asked in confusion.

"With The Slayer. You kill other demons and the rest of us don't hold with that," the demon continued on as his companions turned and went back inside, "Still if I see you around again, I'll be inclined to break that code. Do you understand?"

"What about Angelus? He's making war with The Slayer from what I figure plans to mate the silly bint," Spike asked, wondering why he seemed to have all the bad luck of late.

The demon shrugged though looked a little uncomfortable, "Angelus is a different matter," he muttered.

"Yeah right, you're scared of him," Spike sneered earning himself another kick.

"Just remember my warning Spike," the demon snarled before following his companions.

"Freaking poncy bastard has the entire town quaking," Spike grumbled, but didn't move, his body aching too much.

***O*O*O***

Buffy sat by herself in the backyard garden of Giles' condo an ice pack pressed to her aching temple. The others were inside discussing 'Adam'. She supposed she should be to, but her head was aching and she felt the need for a moment alone.

"My friend's antics boring you already?" Buffy asked without turning her head.

"They were never very interesting to begin with," Angelus responded as he moved from the darkness to join Buffy on the bench, "I was concerned,"

"Concerned or the overwhelming desire to scold me?" Buffy asked as she lowered the ice pack so that she could gaze at Angelus as he sank down onto the bench beside her.

"Maybe a bit of both," Angelus admitted.

"I'm not sorry I went," Buffy stated firmly as she stared down at the icepack that was now covered in condensation.

"I know," Angelus responded, "And I'm not sorry I tried to stop you,"

"Good," Buffy said with a nod and winced.

"Your head still hurts?" Angelus murmured as he reached out to brush gentle fingers through her hair.

"Yeah, he – Adam hits like – well he hits really well," Buffy babbled.

"Fucking abomination," Angelus muttered.

Buffy glanced at him with a small smile curling up her lips, "You really like that word don't you,"

"It fits him," Angelus replied with a shrug, "Why don't you tell me what's really bothering you?"

Buffy returned her gaze to the melting ice pack and sighed, "I meant what I said in The Initiative. I would have let you torture Engelman and felt nothing,"

Angelus shrugged, "They kept you captive, Buffy. It's natural to,"

"No, that's not who I am Angelus. I don't turn a blind eye to that kind of thing. And I really don't threaten a human with torture… what's happening to me?" she whispered as she leaned her head against Angelus shoulder.

Angelus wrapped his arm about her small form, "Your processing," he paused before speaking again, "No one goes through what you did, without being changed by it, Buffy,"

Buffy turned her face into Angelus chest and let out a shaky sigh, taking comfort in his familiar embrace for an extended moment, before pulling back, "I suppose I better get back inside I'm sure Giles is just bursting with questions that I can't answer," she murmured as she stood.

Angelus rolled his eyes as he joined, "Oh yes let's go back inside and listen to the useless prattle that's going on in there," he muttered.

"It's gotten that bad already has it?" Buffy asked, "I've only been gone a moment,"

"You've been out here for at least three long moments," Angelus replied.

"Oh… oops," Buffy murmured as they made their way back towards the condo.

**A/N:** I'm still not completely happy with the fight scene in The Initiative, but that could just be me and I didn't want to spend a lot of time going over it as it took me a very long time to get over my writers block over the scene between Buffy and Angelus just after Buffy finds the massacre in Lowell House. Anyway guys I hope that you enjoyed it.


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